


Two Souls, One Heart

by dotH4CK3R



Category: The Owl House (Cartoon), 鬼滅の刃 | Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Demon Slayer Fusion, Amity's parents are the worst, Amnesia, Blood and Injury, Eventual Romance, F/F, Gen, Slow Burn, everyone's gonna need a hug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 04:46:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 38,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29094465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dotH4CK3R/pseuds/dotH4CK3R
Summary: It is the Taisho era of Japan, a time of modernization, progress, setting aside old superstitions. Demons do not exist. They can't exist.But Luz Noceda, after rescuing a mysterious girl named Amity from the brink of death out in the freezing cold, has her peaceful life shattered when her home is ravaged, her mother killed, and the girl she tried to save turned into a demon herself. Now she must set off on a journey to find the demon behind it all and make up for the promise she had failed to keep. The trials she will face will be like nothing she had imagined, nor will the secrets she discovers about Amity, herself, and the demons she is sworn to slay.---------A TOH x KnY Crossover that takes the characters from TOH and drops them into a very Japanese setting. You don't need to have seen Demon Slayer to read this story!
Relationships: Amity Blight/Luz Noceda
Comments: 37
Kudos: 81





	1. A Gentle Warmth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some things to note before we start:
> 
> I am keeping names as-is, so don't think too hard about all the Western names in an obviously Japanese setting. To aid in this, I am refraining from using Japanese honorifics and will try to stick to English titles for the most part.
> 
> Bottom notes will contain descriptions for Japanese words I don't or can't use an English equivalent for and will try to update as needed if I miss anything.
> 
> I will try to make this as accessible for anyone who hasn't watched Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba) before as possible, but I still do highly recommend reading the manga! 
> 
> Enjoy!

The moon shone full in the sky that night, its soft light pouring through the barren branches of the forest below, reflecting off the soft white snow that had fallen earlier that evening. On any other night, it could be considered serene, tranquil even, the sort of picturesque scenery that would reduce a poet to tears or inspire an artist to pick up their brush. It was unfortunate, then, that the stillness that had settled over the forest was broken by the form of a young girl dashing madly through the snow, heedless of the branches that caught and tore at her robes, her arms, even her face. In every movement there was desperation, her amber eyes flicking back and forth as she sought a path to salvation, bleeding cuts carved into her pale skin as she tore through the underbrush.

Behind her came further disturbances, the echoing sounds of jeering laughter and cracking wood, footsteps crunching in the snow as pursuers gave chase. She dared not look back, lest she become paralyzed by the terror of seeing eyes gleaming in the forest’s shadows, the dark shapes that followed her as she fled into the dimly-lit night. It was fortunate that she’d had a significant lead on those _things_ that pursued her; they were quick and strong, tearing through the forest with greater ease than her.

She was almost yanked off her feet as her robe caught fast on a stubborn branch, panicked cries and desperate sobs escaping her lips as she fought to tear free. Her fingers tore desperately at the _obi_ on her waist, releasing a relieved gasp as it loosened, freeing her of the intricately-patterned robe that had trapped her. As her arms slipped free from the wide sleeves, a clawed hand burst forth from behind her, narrowly missing her waist as it instead grabbed at the layer of cloth she’d shed. The near-miss manage to steal a startled cry from the girl, but she didn’t hesitate to take advantage of the momentary confusion it had caused to change the direction of her flight. 

The rapid pounding of footsteps tearing through the snow alerted her to another coming at her from her right and she quickly threw herself leftwards as a pair of arms cleaved the air where she’d stood. They’d managed to grasp nothing but a few strands of her pale green hair; she didn’t give them a chance to rectify their mistake, throwing herself forward and finding herself tumbling head over heels down a snow-crusted incline. She gasped in pain as her right leg caught against a rock hidden beneath the snow, the pain nearly overwhelming her and casting her into the mercy of unconsciousness.

But she couldn’t black out here. Not yet. As she came to a stop at the bottom of the incline, she gingerly rose to her feet, wincing as she realized she could not afford to put weight on her injured leg. Even worse, as she hobbled forward to put further distance between her and her pursuers, she found that there was no path left to take. A rushing river roared below where she stood, perched at the edge of a cliff high enough that the sight of the ground below made her head spin. 

For the first time since she had begun her desperate flight, she hesitated. But the crashing of bodies in the undergrowth and that ever-present jeering laughter turned her fear and desperation into grim determination. Whatever happened to her from here, it would be a far kinder fate than what awaited her if she were caught, if she were dragged back against her will. If she were to return to that prison she had been forced to call home.

And so, gathering the last of her courage, she leapt into the moonlit night.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

In a small cabin, in a forest on the outskirts of a sleepy village, a girl awoke as the piercing rays of sunlight shone through an open window. She groaned, blinking blearily as she sought to burrow herself deeper into the comfort of her warm blanket, turning her face away from the unwanted light. This proved to be an ultimately fruitless effort as her safe haven was torn away from her, laughter evident in the stern but warm voice that scolded her into wakefulness.

“ _Mija_ , it’s time to get up! We have a lot to do today and you can’t get any of it done by sleeping the day away.”

The girl groaned, but against her will her eyes opened to meet those of her mother’s and despite herself a small smile crept onto her lips. “Yes, _mami_.”

And thus that morning began as it usually did for Luz Noceda and her mother Camila.

Moments later, having dressed in a warm _kimono_ and a modest breakfast comfortably resting in her stomach, Luz set off with a basket of clothes in hand for the nearby river. She hummed a soft tune to herself, basking in the sun even as she enjoyed the serenity of the snow-covered forest that surrounded her home. Once she was done with her morning chores, she was looking forward to exploring the forest as she usually did, or maybe even heading into the village if Camila needed her to deliver medicines, hopefully picking up any interesting news along the way. Not that there was usually much, or anything that would affect the modest life they and their neighbors lived at least.

Nothing that interesting ever happened in this village anyways.

But as Luz neared the river, she spied an unfamiliar form leaning against one of the trees lining the riverbank. As she got closer, she saw it was a girl about her age, her hair a soft green, though her forehead was crowned with brown roots. And she was sitting very, very still, almost deathly so.

Her pace quickened into a flat run, concern weighing in her gut as she dropped the basket to kneel down next to her. This close, she could see the girl’s hair was practically frozen, and she could see a short trail leading through the snow from the river to the tree she lay against. Hesitantly, she pressed a hand to the girl’s face, gasping at just how _cold_ she felt. Was she already too late? How long had this girl been here? Her hand moved from her cheek to her mouth, and she felt a flicker of hope as a faint but steady current of air met her palm. Carefully, Luz leaned forward and pressed her ear to the girl’s chest, her hope rising as she heard a weak but persistent heartbeat.

“ _Mami_ can help you, if anyone can save you she can,” Luz murmured, scooping the girl up in her arms and making a mad dash back to her home. As she slid the door open, calling for her mother and quickly explaining the situation, a small voice in the back of her head noted that perhaps things were getting just a little bit more exciting after all.

It would end up being three days before the girl showed signs of stirring.

As it so happened, Luz was tending to her injuries, changing her bandages as she slowly returned to the land of the living, her eyes flickering open weakly. The first sounds the girl could make out as she slowly awoke were a gasp and a young voice calling out for someone. Before the darkness of sleep claimed her once more, the last thing the girl saw was kind, warm brown eyes gazing at her with concern, tousled dark brown hair, and a red sun hanging beneath each ear.

It would be another day before she became fully aware of just how _painful_ her body felt. But the realization of her pain jolted her into full wakefulness as a singular thought swiftly roared through her mind. _I’m alive!_

A surge of emotions accompanied this realization, euphoria chief among them. She wanted to laugh. She wanted to cry. But she did neither as she tried to sit up, lift her body from where she lay, only to collapse before raising even a single inch. It wasn’t just the thick, warm blankets that constricted her movement; it felt as though her entire body were made of lead, her muscles protesting against any sort of attempt at movement. She opened her mouth, her throat feeling dry as she attempted to call for help; all that came out was a half-hearted gurgle of air and she grimaced.

Despite her less-than-stellar attempt, it seemed to have gotten someone’s attention anyways as she heard the sound of a door sliding open and closed, followed by footsteps on _tatami_. Her eyes drifted over to the figure that knelt by her, seeing a woman with the same hair and eye color as the girl she remembered seeing in her last brief bout of consciousness. But her hair was neater, her eyes wiser, and there were no suns hanging beneath her ears. “You’re finally awake. How are you feeling?”

The girl did her best to formulate a response, but all that came out was a low groan. The woman smiled kindly down at her. “ _Buenos dias_ , I’m Camila. You were in bad shape when my daughter found you. I managed to patch up most of your injuries, but you nearly froze to death out there. It’s going to be a while before you fully recover.” She paused, allowing her words to sink in before continuing, still smiling that kind smile. “And you’re welcome to stay as long as you need. So just focus on getting better, okay?”

Receiving a tiny nod, she gently patted the blanket covering the girl. “You’re probably hungry. I can’t recommend you eat anything too heavy yet, so for now I hope you don’t mind just having some miso soup for now.” Camila turned, putting a hand to her mouth as she called out, “ _Mija_!”

“Already on it, _mami_ ,” came a reply immediately after, a familiar voice using a playful tone. The girl swept her eyes past Camila towards the source, getting a better look at the girl from before. Like her mother she had tanned skin and the hair and eye colors she so vividly remembered. She was a bit lanky and on the thin side, and there was a bright, friendly smile on her face that in the girl’s mind left no doubt that the two were mother and daughter. She noted with slight disappointment that the girl’s earrings weren’t actual suns like she had thought in her exhausted state of mind, but like a pair of _hanafuda_ cards instead. The only other detail that stood out to her was the scar on the left side of her forehead, like it had been kissed by a tongue of flame; it didn’t look new, but it stood out against the darker color of her skin.

The smell of something delicious attracted her attention, and her eyes were drawn to the steaming bowl in the girl’s hands. The girl knelt next to her opposite of her mother, who proceeded to slowly and gently lift their patient into sitting in an upright position, and beamed brightly at her. “Hi, I’m Luz. I’m, uh… I’m glad you’re doing better, kinda had us worried for a while there,” she added with a small sigh before a smile overtook her face again. “But that’s all in the past! Like _mami_ said, just focus on getting better and we’ll take care of everything else.” 

Gently, Luz spooned mouthfuls of the warmest, most delicious miso soup the girl had ever had into her mouth, waiting a few seconds after she’d swallowed to offer another spoonful. Slowly but surely, the bowl emptied out, and Camila lay her back down. She was feeling oddly comfy at this point, her eyelids growing heavy as her exhausted body was lulled by the warm blankets, warm food, and warm care that surrounded her. She heard Luz shuffle where she knelt, felt her breath tickle her ear as she asked one last question before the girl drifted back off to sleep. 

“What’s your name?”

The girl moved her lips, her voice coming out as a soft, hoarse whisper. “My… I'm... Amity… Amity Blight.”

“Nice to meet you, Amity,” Luz said with another bright, sweet smile that etched itself into Amity’s memory as she fell into a comfortable, dreamless slumber.

It would be a week until Amity regained the energy to hold extended conversations, to raise her voice above the soft whisper that had been all she could manage in her brief moments of wakefulness. It had been a shock when Luz, having finished helping Amity eat her meal, heard a soft but distinct “Thank you” as she was taking the tray of dishes out to be washed. Her shock must’ve been evident on her face when she whirled around to stare at the injured girl, as something about her expression managed to elicit a quiet giggle from her. A goofy grin stretched across Luz’s face and she bashfully looked away, rubbing the back of her head before giving her a small nod and continuing on her way.

That laugh was like the light tinkle of wind chimes and it brought a spring to her step to think that she had brought it out of her.

It would take another three days until Amity had the strength to sit up on her own. By then Camila was slowly transitioning her to more solid foods and steadily larger portions. The good doctor didn't fail to notice Luz's increasingly unsubtle attempts to cheer up the poor girl, and while she had to discourage some of her... _rowdier_ attempts (she did not think Luz needed actual live snakes to tell Amity the legend of Susano'o's battle with Orochi, for one) she approved of the sentiment. While Amity was becoming more vocal as her strength recovered, she was still very quiet and reserved, and often on edge. It tore at her heart every time the girl flinched at a sudden movement or unexpected noise, how late at night she would sometimes hear Amity wake with a muffled cry before trying to go back to sleep without making a disturbance.

There had been one night where Luz had been awake to witness this, and the look she'd given Camila had brought a warm feeling of pride for the person her daughter was certain to grow up to be and most certainly already was.

After another week, Amity was strong enough to get up and walk around, albeit on crutches and only for short periods of time. But she had insisted on helping out around the house and Camila didn't have the heart to refuse her, even if she did have to set limits for the sake of her health. And often she would return home to find Luz regaling Amity with a story of one of her misadventures or a tale she'd been told growing up, the smiles on the girls' faces enough to blunt the coldest winter nights. 

Eventually an entire month passed since they had brought Amity into their home, and by then her leg had healed to the point she was able to walk freely and without assistance. When Camila had finished her examination, telling Amity with a smile that she was now more or less fully recovered, a pensive look shadowed the girl's face. Camila had placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, getting her attention as she smiled down at her.

"I told you before, and I'll say it again. You're welcome to stay as long as you need."

She unconsciously held her breath as Amity looked up at her with a guarded expression, her eyes boring into hers as though searching for... something. Some sign, perhaps, that she wasn't being entirely honest, or that she was holding something back that would shatter the growing hope shining in the girl's teary eyes. Not for the first time, she wondered what sort of life Amity had led, her heart aching with every hint she found about the sort of treatment she must have received.

Finally, Amity simply nodded, and like the breaking of a dam her tears flowed in full force. Her small frame shuddered with sobs, her fingers wrapped in the folds of Camila's _kimono_ as she clung to her. Camila whispered soft reassurances to the girl, rubbing circles into her back with one hand as she used her other arm to hold her in a comforting embrace. She was reminded of long ago, not long after her husband had passed and Luz was still grieving. 

Luz, bless her heart, returned home at that moment from delivering medicines for Camila to the village. The moment she saw Amity crying in Camila's arms, she jumped in to help, adding her embrace to the warmth enveloping the girl. She didn't speak, choosing to silently hold her even as Amity's grip unsteadily shifted over from clinging to Camila to wrapping her arms around Luz. Exchanging looks, Camila gently extracted herself from the group hug, allowing Luz to pull Amity into a more secure embrace while she left to prepare dinner. 

When she returned, it was to find Luz doing her best to remain still and unmoving, Amity having cried herself to sleep in her arms. Stifling a laugh, she decided to take pity on her daughter and laid out a _futon_ for Amity before helping her gently tuck her in for the night. Luz sat there for a moment, pensively observing the sleeping girl with a sad look in her eyes, before quietly speaking.

"Amity's been through a lot, hasn't she? Even before she... before we found her."

"She probably has, _mija_ ," Camila said in agreement, just as softly, "but until she's ready to tell us, if she ever is, all we can do is give her a place she can feel happy and safe. Just give her time and let her know we care. That's all we can do for now."

Another month passed, and Amity could not remember a time she felt so welcome, so loved. Camila was so gentle, so understanding, even in those rare moments where she needed to put her foot down or scold the girl. Despite the fleeting moments of terror Amity felt when she saw her eyes become stern, she never became afraid of Camila herself. Perhaps it was the woman's patience in making sure Amity understood her concerns, perhaps it was that there was an unspoken line she never crossed, or even that Camila simply respected the girl as a human being, with her own thoughts and feelings to be considered. 

Then there was Luz. Sweet, wonderful, _intoxicatingly warm_ Luz. At first Amity had wondered if she had pitied her, helped take care of her out of some misguided notion that she was responsible for her, having been the one to find her half-frozen that morning by the river. But that resentment melted away bit by bit with every interaction as she realized just how _genuine_ Luz was. She wore her heart openly, for good or ill, all sunshine and smiles as she tried her hardest to bring a smile to Amity's face with every interaction, always trying to pull a laugh out of her.

She'd be lying if she said Luz didn't somehow manage that almost every time.

Today, they were relaxing under the _kotatsu_ in the center of the room, the warmth of the brassier beneath the table and covers seeping deep into their bones, and Luz was performing for Amity a dramatic retelling of another of her favorite stories from her childhood. Being inside the house, she couldn't use her favorite prop (a simple stick) for fear of a lengthy scolding, but made up for it by enthusiastically waving around an empty hand as though she did have one, a silly gesture that couldn't help but draw a smile from Amity as she listened attentively.

"And then our mighty hero found himself before the king of demons, his faithful companions behind him. 'Foolish human, you may have bested my army, but to me you are a mere tiger, roaring his defiance at a mighty storm!' To that, Momotaro laughed and readied his blade. 'If you are a storm, then I am the sun, come to scatter you to the winds and dispel your darkness with my light!'" With that, Luz immediately launched into a dramatic mock battle, waving her arms around and voicing the appropriate sound effects, all while sitting down and refusing to get out from under the _kotatsu_. Her antics elicited a giggle from her audience, Luz's own grin widening at the sound.

"With a final clash of their blades, Momotaro shattered the demon's sword and brought him to his knees. 'You have bested me, human. Do with me as you will.' Momotaro, being awesome and honorable and kind, told him, 'Free your prisoners and never do evil again. Swear to this and I will spare your life.' Receiving the demon's oath, Momotaro, his companions, and the people they freed returned with a boat full of gold and treasures and lived happily ever after." Ending her story with a flourish, arms outstretched with a silent "Tah-dah!", Luz grinned at Amity's applause. 

Eventually the applause petered out and left behind a comfortable silence, Luz lying back and enjoying the warmth of both the _kotatsu_ and another successful attempt at entertaining Amity. A pensive, uncertain expression crept over the other girl’s face as she looked at Luz, biting her lip anxiously. When Luz sat back up and met Amity’s gaze, the green-haired girl looked away, causing Luz to frown in concern.

“Hey, Amity... is everything okay?”

Tension filled the silence that followed her question, finally breaking when Amity returned her gaze, her amber eyes boring into her. “Luz... do you think... do demons exist?”

There was something in her eyes as she asked her question, a shadow of fear that Luz recognized. It was like the unmistakable look of terror Amity had had in the early days of her stay, when even the flicker of a shadow could elicit fear from the injured girl. Luz didn't know what to make of the question, but she did know that she wanted to reassure her. 

"I don't know. I've never seen a demon before. Some of the older adults say there are, but a lot also say they're not real." Something changed in Amity's expression, a shadow that seemed to come over her until Luz continued on. "But if they are or aren't, I'll protect you, Amity."

Amity's eyes widened at that statement and Luz, sporting a lopsided grin, jumped to her feet, raising a hand above her head as she kept her eyes locked with Amity's. "I won't let anyone hurt you again, I promise. I'll be your fearless champion!" She smiled confidently at the other girl, warmth bubbling within her as Amity's eyes widened, her gaze becoming watery.

"You... you dummy," Amity said, letting out a half-sob, half-laugh as a smile returned to her face. She let out a startled squeak as Luz plopped herself down right next to her, so close their shoulders touched, and pulled her into a hug. At first Amity sat there stiffly, stunned by the sudden affection, but after a few seconds she leaned into the embrace, resting her head in the crook of Luz's neck.

"You're safe here, Amity," Luz said softly, reassuringly. "I won't let you get hurt," she repeated. 

Amity felt herself relax further in Luz's arms, allowing Luz's reassurances to soothe her fear. At the same time, she could feel herself become increasingly aware of just how warm she felt, the feel of Luz's touch through their robes, the sound of Luz's breath in her ear. She could feel her heart beat quicken, thought it strange that Luz didn't seem to hear how loudly it was beating. As she chanced a look up, her amber eyes meeting Luz's brown ones, as she felt the heat spread across her face, down her neck, and reach even her ear, a thought occurred to her. Or perhaps it was more of a realization. 

But that could wait for another time. 

A month passed since that day, Amity standing pensively by the door as Luz hefted a basket full of medicines on her back, a list of names in hand as she prepared to set off. Camila was in a back room, taking stock of her remaining medicinal supplies and ingredients, so Amity was the only one there to see her off. Luz seemed to notice her friend's anxiety, as she shot her a reassuring smile.

"It's just a quick delivery trip, I'll be back. I always am."

"I know," Amity said, letting out a nervous breath. "I'm sorry, I can't help it. Ever since..."

The memory of a girl in the freezing cold, sitting deathly still, flashed through Luz's mind and she grabbed Amity's hands, her smile widening at Amity's surprised blush. "Hey, don't worry. _Mami_ is here too, you'll be okay."

"It's not _me_ I'm worried about," Amity mumbled, but she seemed to be pacified by Luz's words, the tension in her posture visibly fading even as her grip on Luz's hands tightened slightly. "Just don't take too long, I don't want you to get caught in a blizzard or something. And..." She trailed off, her eyes avoiding Luz's own as her blush deepened. 

"And...?" Luz prodded, unconsciously feeling her breath hitch in her throat at Amity's expression, seeing _something_ in Amity's amber eyes as their gazes finally met that made her heart skip a beat. 

"A-And, well... stay safe," Amity finished lamely, a hint of uncertainty creeping into her tone. Luz felt a twinge of disappointment, for some reason she didn't know, quickly shoving that feeling aside as Amity continued, "You're my fearless champion, after all."

Luz smiled at that reminder of her promise, reluctantly letting go of Amity's hands as she turned to leave. "Well, I'm off. I'll see you later, Amity."

"Yeah, see you..."

As Luz made her way down the path, she had only gone a few feet when Amity worked up the nerve to call out to her one more time. "Luz! When you get back... I-I have... I need to talk to you about something. Something important." Looking back over her shoulder, Luz waved in acknowledgement, and kept waving until the house and Amity were no longer in sight. Her heart thudded in her chest at the thought of what Amity might want to talk to her about and she resolved to finish the deliveries faster than she ever had before, quickening her pace and hurrying down the path.

Despite her impatience, it still took a few hours to reach the village. As she arrived she could see it was bustling with activity as its inhabitants went about their day, selling and buying goods, slipping into the local tavern for a bottle to drink or a bite to eat, children playing and making mischief. Luz even passed by a few others making deliveries of their own, handing off this and that. 

As she made her way through the village, consulting the list in her hand to figure out who needed what and where, Luz found her mind increasingly occupied by the girl who had by now become a third member of her little family. Amity had been slowly opening up, becoming steadily less reserved around her and Camila, and Luz liked to think that maybe she'd played a significant part in that. Once again, she felt her heart beat faster as she wondered what Amity wanted to talk about. 

_"Something important"... what did she mean?_

A memory came to mind, of amber eyes shadowed by fear, of a single, hesitant question.

_"Do demons exist?"_

The subject had never come up again since then. But somehow those words stuck with Luz and despite her wanting to ask what Amity had meant that day, why she had asked, it felt like she would be crossing some kind of line. Like there was something too personal, too private.

She shook her head and cleared her thoughts, bringing her hands up to clap her cheeks. She needed to concentrate and finish up as quickly as she could. There was plenty of time to get to the point where Amity would be comfortable enough to talk about it more. There was no need to rush things. Luz smiled at the thought of Amity waiting for her to return, maybe learning from Camila how to mix medicines or helping with dinner, taking brief moments to peer outside and see if Luz was on her way back...

_Wait no, focus! Focus!_

The sun was setting by the time she was done, but the wind was growing stronger, the sky growing dark far too quickly as heavy clouds gathered in the sky. Luz frowned at the falling snow, wondering if she should risk it. On the one hand, she really wanted to get back home; she didn't want to worry her mother or Amity and they likely would if she took too long, especially if a blizzard did blow through. On the other, they would _definitely_ worry if a blizzard caught her out on the open and she didn't fancy her chances.

"Luz!"

Hearing her name, Luz turned to see an old man waving at her from an open window, his eyebrows so thick and fuzzy his eyes were hidden beneath them; he was the local apothecary and the main source of the ingredients for her mother's medicines. She jogged up to him, flashing a smile. "Heya Gramps, what's up?"

"You weren't plannin' on heading out with a storm blowin' in were ya?" Her embarrassed grin was all the answer he needed as he shook his head at the foolishness of the young. "Stay the night, I have a spare _futon_ I can lay out fer ya."

"No no, I couldn't possibly--"

He shot her a glare with a raised eyebrow, pinning her to the spot. "Oh no you don't, not if I don't want yer mother comin' after me fer lettin' ya do somethin' so stupid. Besides, it's almost nightfall anyway." A dark look passed over his features as he squinted at the forest, muttering, "You don't want to run into any _demons_ out there."

A chill ran down Luz's spine at his words, reminded ominously of her thoughts from earlier. "...Okay, yeah, I'll take you up on that then. T-Thanks."

The look on his face vanished, replaced by a kindly smile. "Of course, yer family's always welcome here, Luz." He disappeared from the window, Luz looking back at the road leading to the forest with a pensive frown before stepping into the shop. As she slid the door closed behind her, she could hear the howling winds as they picked up speed, feel the chill as the blizzard settled over the village in earnest.

_They'll be fine, there's nothing to fear. There's no such thing as demons._

_But still... Amity's face back then..._

_"Luz... do you think..."_

_What was she scared of?_

_"Do demons exist?"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kimono - A traditional Japanese style of garment, the word is used to describe anything from cheap robes to the expensive fancy-patterned silk kind.
> 
> Futon - A traditional Japanese mattress laid out on the floor, flat and foldable and so very soft.
> 
> Kotatsu - A traditional Japanese table with a thick comforter attached to it and a heater underneath. Modern versions use an electric heater attached to the underside of the table.
> 
> Susano'o and Orochi / Momotaro - Traditional Japanese myth and folktale, respectively.


	2. Shattered

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw// Fic earns the Death tag 
> 
> Also brief suicide mention

The silence was deafening.

Trudging her way back up the path, Luz couldn't help but notice the stifling _silence_ that had settled over the forest. Though the sky was still gray and thick with snow-bearing clouds, the blizzard had long since passed, and even in winter there were animals that could be heard calling out to each other. But at that moment, there was nothing but the sound of her own footsteps crunching through the snow and it was absolutely _unnerving._

With nothing to distract her from her thoughts, Luz found she couldn't help but dwell on the worries that had plagued her the previous night. It had felt silly at first, worrying about things that couldn't possibly exist; the monsters from her childhood stories were just that, stories. But the conversation she'd had with the old apothecary as she lay in the borrowed _futon,_ too anxious to sleep, while he worked nearby, preparing various ingredients for sale and storage, echoed in her thoughts, eating away at the doubts that Amity's words had formed.

_"Hey Gramps, are there really demons out there?"_

_"There were when I was a young boy. Woods and mountains were full of 'em. With any luck, the slayers got most of 'em but I don't want to take any chances."_

_"Slayers?"_

_"Demon slayers. Been around as long as demons have, I reckon. 'S why demons don't just go 'round breakin' into people's houses and eating 'em all. Cause the slayers'll find 'em if they do."_

Lost in thought as she was, Luz never noticed the small owl sitting high above her in the trees, watching her curiously. It hopped from branch to branch as it followed her, so small and so light it made no noise as it did so. After a while it seemed to be satisfied and took off, gliding silently away with Luz none the wiser.

It wasn't long until she could see the familiar wooden cabin in the distance, the very sight of her home bringing a smile to Luz's face. Mentally, she prepared her apologies for the delay in her return, imagining how worried her mother and Amity must have been waiting for her, especially with a blizzard having blown through. Feeling a sudden giddiness come over her, there was a spring in her step as she hurried to get home, eager to retreat from the cold and immerse herself in the warmth of the _kotatsu_ and the people she cherished.

But as she got closer, she realized something was wrong. It was still _too quiet_ ; there was no sign of any activity or movement apart from the falling snow. The smile faded from Luz's face, replaced by a growing feeling of uncertainty and worry as she realized _someone_ should have noticed her approach by now.

That feeling became a knot of dread in her gut when she saw the broken door.

The dread only grew when she saw the blood.

When she finally made it to the threshold, she was only dimly aware of her feet pulling her forward, stepping over the broken pieces of the sliding door. There was blood everywhere. It stained the walls, the _tatami_ , and the _futon_ that had been laid out for the bodies before her to sleep in. There was so much blood.

The bodies.

She couldn't look away. She could feel, could hear the blood pumping in her veins, the thudding of her heart as her breath came out in sharp, jagged bursts of air. Camila, her wonderful, beautiful mother, the warmth of her smile and the love in her eyes, the affection in her voice, all of it was stripped away. There were great, bloody gashes gouged across her back and arms and legs, a stream of dried blood running down her face and past her lifeless eyes, wide open and devoid of light and warmth. There was so much blood. Her _kimono_ was stained crimson, the simple one she wore to sleep, she and Amity must've been getting ready to turn in for the night when--

_Amity._

Almost unwillingly, Luz tore her eyes away from Camila's face as she stepped closer, her mind, a whirling, chaotic vortex of emotions as she struggled to process what she was seeing, barely registering that she could see Amity laying beneath Camila. Her eyes were shut, her face, her hair, once as green as the fresh leaves of spring, covered in dried blood. But the rest… Luz trembled, her body quaking with barely-restrained grief and fear as she reached out, laying her hands on her mother's body.

She felt so _cold_.

" _Lo siento, Mami_ ," Luz whispered, gently moving Camila to the side before reaching out and closing her eyes. The front of her robes were still stained with blood, but there was less of it, and her wounds there were far less gruesome than the rest.

But Luz's blood ran cold when she saw Amity and all the blood that stained her clothes. She could see the gashes on her arms and legs, the wound on her shoulder through the torn cloth. Hesitantly she held out her hand, battling with uncertainty as it hovered over Amity's face. A memory forced itself unbidden to the forefront of her mind, of _gasping at just how_ cold _she felt._

When she finally laid her hand on her cheek, an overwhelming surge of emotion tore through Luz's body as she gasped. Tears flowed uncontrollably as she held her hand there, scarcely able to believe what she was feeling.

Her body was _warm_. Amity was _still alive._

Even so, it was only a faint warmth, but Luz knew she had to try. She could deal with everything else later. She could grieve later. Right now, _Amity needed her._ The faint glow of hope flooded her body as she wracked her brain to remember everything Camila had taught her about treating the injured and she opened the door to the back room where her mother stored her medical supplies. That hope dimmed slightly when she saw how barren the shelves were, distantly remembering Camila taking stock the previous day, preparing a list of supplies they needed.

Then she remembered the apothecary; surely the old man would be willing to help? Grabbing what she could, invigorated by a growing determination, Luz bandaged Amity's injuries to the best of her ability, cursing at her sloppiness but knowing she didn't have the time to try again. She took a moment to pull a blanket from the closet, draping it over her mother's still form, feeling a painful pang in her heart.

Several minutes later she was out the door, carrying Amity on her back and praying the injured girl would be able to hold on until they made it to the village. She prayed to whatever gods were listening that she wasn't too late. That her mother hadn't died for nothing. That somehow, someway, she could get another chance. That she hadn't lost _everything_ she held dear.

As Luz ran, she didn't see the twitching of Amity's fingers, nails growing into razor-edged claws. She didn't see the bandages slip loose, revealing wounds steadily closing without a single scar. She didn't see as the wind blew back blood-matted clumps of green hair, revealing elongated ears tapering to a point. She didn't see the opening and closing of her mouth as she began to gasp for air, revealing long, deadly fangs. She didn't see the fluttering of Amity's eyelids, or when they snapped open to reveal eyes of bright gold, pupils narrowed into slits.

It all happened so fast. Luz felt Amity's weight shift, felt her body move as she threw her head back and _screamed._ It was a terrifying, primal scream, one that reverberated through Luz's body and made all her hairs stand on end. Startled by the sudden noise and thrown off-balance by Amity's movement, Luz slipped and lost her footing, the snow proving detrimental to her attempts to regain it. She crashed to the ground, losing her grip on Amity in the process and dropping her into the snow.

She lay there for a moment, dazed, before another scream snapped her out of it and she pushed herself out of the snow with a jolt. "Amity!" Frantically looking about, Luz spotted her bracing herself against a tree with one hand, the other clutching her head. She was looking down, her hair preventing Luz from getting a good look at her face, but she still got the feeling that something was wrong.

Jumping to her feet, Luz approached Amity cautiously, slowly extending a hand out towards her. "Amity. Are… are you okay?" The sound of wood breaking made her flinch, a feeling of dread settling over her as she realized Amity had, with her bare hand, crushed a chunk of a tree into bits. "Amity?"

The girl looked up, gold eyes meeting brown ones, and Luz inhaled sharply. There was no kind smile or pensive worry on her face; her eyes had narrowed into a fearsome glare, lips pulled back into a snarl, revealing fangs that Luz couldn't remember ever being there before. Lines of bulging veins trailed away from around her eyes, and Luz took an unconscious step back at the sound of a growl emanating from Amity's throat. 

_A demon!_

They did exist. What else could explain the girl before her, so drastically changed from the girl she remembered? An involuntary shiver of fear ran through her as her eyes remained locked with Amity's, paralyzed by uncertainty. _Was this what she wanted to talk about? Has… has she been a demon this whole time?_ A terrifying, sorrowful thought occurred to her. _Was it Amity who…_

But that couldn't be right. She remembered Amity's hands, still so small even as a demon, unblemished by the blood that stained everything else. There was blood on her face, but it wasn't centered on her mouth. And the way Camila's body had been positioned when Luz had found them… Luz grit her teeth, willing herself to move despite the fear, despite the overpowering urge to flee. Desperately she willed herself to reach out to the girl she had vowed to protect.

But before she could move a single step, Amity suddenly surged forward, throwing herself at Luz with a snarl. They crashed to the ground, Luz's hands gripped tightly around Amity's wrists, desperately trying to hold her claws at bay as the other girl straddled her, pushing her down into the snow. Amity continued to growl and snarl, Luz's resistance only seeming to further fuel her bestial rage. 

Memories flashed through Luz's mind, of a soft _"Thank you,"_ of laughter like wind chimes, of the tears and warmth of a girl held in her arms. 

Of a reminder of a promise, an oath she had poured all of her heart into making.

_"You're my fearless champion, after all."_

Far above Luz's struggle, an impressively large owl ruffled its wings, preparing to swoop down as it eyed the girls below. It froze as the figure it was perched upon raised a hand, their eyes also peering down at the ongoing struggle, but it was a look of interest, as if noticing something amiss that had caught their attention. A smaller owl on their other shoulder cooed softly in agreement, having noticed the same thing as they settled in to see what would unfold.

Luz felt something within her ignite, the scorching flames of determination searing away her uncertainty and doubt, pushing back against her fear. Her grip around Amity's wrists tightened and she pushed back, resolution burning in her gaze as she brought it to meet Amity's, brown eyes meeting gold ones. "Amity! I know I failed you, I didn't protect you! I wasn't there when you needed me and you got hurt." She pushed and pushed as she spoke, even as Amity growled and began to _grow_ , her inhuman strength increasing with her size.

" _Fight it_ , Amity! I know you can! You're stronger than this!" With a wordless cry, Luz suddenly yanked Amity's wrists to the side, reversing their positions as the move caught the girl by surprise. She pinned Amity's hands by her head, looking down at her as she thrashed and snarled, struggling to break free of Luz's grasp. 

"I won't fail you again Amity. Not like this. Not ever again." Tears rolled unashamedly down Luz's face as she kept her eyes locked with Amity, who flinched as Luz's tears dripped onto her face. "I'll always protect you. Because…." Luz felt her breath hitch in her throat as she smiled down at Amity, felt a surge of warmth and emotion that coursed through her body, every bit of which she poured into her next words.

"Because _I'll always be your fearless champion._ "

She felt her arms buckle as Amity finally broke free from her grip, throwing Luz off of her to land face-up in the snow once again. Before Luz could react, she felt a weight pin her down as Amity leapt on top of her once more, fangs bared and a fierce snarl tearing its way out of her throat as she raised a clawed hand and swung it down towards her. Luz screwed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the pain to come.

But after a brief, tense moment, Luz felt nothing. 

The final blow never came.

Instead she felt something warm splash onto her face, and then another, and another, steadily dripping down. Luz opened her eyes and saw a pair of golden eyes looking back at her, and a clawed hand held, trembling, inches away from her throat. But most importantly she realized that _Amity was crying._ She saw the primal rage that had consumed the girl fading away from her eyes, replaced by uncertainty and confusion. Luz waited with bated breath, wondering if, by some miracle, she'd managed to break through to her.

Amity continued to stare down at Luz, tears flowing freely from her eyes as though a dam had been broken. Her mind felt… hazy, confused. It was no longer filled with the mind-numbing rage and hunger that had driven her a moment before, but now there was something else emerging there. Words, snippets of half-remembered things that faded back into the darkness that clouded her memories.

_"Weakness is disgraceful, my dear. Do not dishonor us by showing such disgrace ever again."_

_The rattling of iron chains, amused laughter echoing around her._

_"It's okay Mittens, we'll be fine. Go. Don't look back."_

But a few refused to disappear, flickering lights that fought to dispel the haze.

_A warm embrace that welcomed her, reassurances spoken softly to quell her tears._

_Hands playfully ruffling her hair. "We'll always have each other's backs."_

_An intoxicating warmth, pouring from a smile that never failed to make her heart flutter._

_A pair of crimson suns, a face marked by a flame's kiss._

_Brown eyes meeting amber, passionate and kind, a declaration made._

_"I'll be your fearless champion!"_

Luz watched in amazement as Amity, for lack of a better word, shrank. She slowly reverted back to her normal size, her claws retracted, bulging veins faded and disappeared, her pupils dilated, and even her fangs grew smaller. After a few moments, the only signs that remained that showed she wasn't human were her bright golden eyes, her now much less prominent fangs, her sharply tipped nails, and her pointed ears. Amity blinked, her eyes never leaving Luz's, confusion making way for a glimmer of recognition. Hope surged through Luz as she took a breath to steady her nerves, blinking away tears as she silently prayed.

"Amity? Do you… Do you recognize me? Is it really you this time?"

For a few brief, anxious moments, Amity just stared back at Luz. But eventually she gave her a small nod; it was hesitant, uncertain, and not a word was spoken, but that was enough for Luz. She threw her arms around Amity, pulling her close as all the fear and tension and grief she'd experienced that day suddenly flowed through her all at once, holding her as though any moment she may disappear like mist upon the wind. She bawled, she cried, she sobbed and shook, unashamed of the mess of tears and snot that poured from her face. 

Her peaceful life had been shattered into a million fragment and would never return, but a small part of it survived. As she felt Amity tentatively wrap her arms around her, patting her lightly on the back, she couldn't help but let her lips curl into a tiny smile. Not everything had been lost.

Eventually the tears subsided and the girls were back on their feet, Amity staring off aimlessly into the distance and Luz cleaning her face with a few handfuls of snow. Letting out a sigh, Luz found herself looking back at Amity and pondering what to do next. She knew she had to return to their home, to… to give her mother a proper burial (she felt her heart constrict at the thought, a wave of grief threatening to overwhelm her once again), but after that she didn't know. And then there was Amity. 

Luz knew that everything with Amity wasn't settled yet. She recognized her now, but what about later? What if they ran into other people? The way Amity had attacked her was far from forgotten and she couldn't bring herself to imagine what would happen if Amity attacked another person. If she tasted the flesh and blood of another human. Could she even forgive Amity if that happened? Could she forgive _herself_? 

She was distracted from her thoughts by the sound of wood clacking against stone, overlapped perfectly by the hoot of an owl. Luz turned to see what the noise was, only to realize there was someone standing right behind her. With a startled yelp, she jumped back, placing herself protectively between Amity and the mysterious figure. 

The stranger was, from top to bottom, an unusual sight. They had a wild mane of grey hair that reached as far down as their knees, their face hidden behind a crimson, long-nosed _tengu_ mask, with a blood red _haori_ patterned with white feathers worn over a white _kimono_ and dark red _hakama_ pants. Their already-imposing height was accentuated by the wooden _tengu_ -style _geta_ they wore, each tooth about one _shaku_ long. An owl sat perched upon each shoulder, a small mottled-brown one with bright yellow eyes, the other a massive grey and brown-freckled specimen with orange eyes and prominent ear-tufts poking up from its head. In their hand was a long, thick staff carved from bamboo, topped by a small carving in the shape of an owl.

Hearing Amity growl, Luz glanced back to see her assuming an aggressive stance, fangs bared and claws extended. "Amity, no, hold on, it's okay," Luz said, keeping her voice low and trying to sound more confident and reassuring than she felt. If she heard her, Amity didn't show it, but she at least didn't immediately try to attack the stranger, which Luz took as a good sign. She turned back to see the stranger staring at her--or, at least, she assumed so based on where the mask was pointing.

"Uh, h-hey there," Luz said with a nervous grin. "Fine day we're having, right? Yup, super fine." She took a step back and reached out to Amity, grabbing her hand and trying not to wince as Amity nearly crushed her fingers with the strength of her grip. "Just a couple of gals palling around in the snow, y'know? But, uh, we should really be heading home so--"

"Yeeeaaahhh no, you're not fooling anyone, kid," Luz was both surprised to realize it was a woman behind that mask and alarmed when the woman's gaze shifted to a glaring Amity, "especially not with Little Green there looking like that." She looked back at Luz. "You better step away, kid. Demons are man-eaters and if you're not careful you're gonna learn that the hard way."

Luz stepped to the side, putting Amity more directly behind her as she glared at the _tengu_ woman. "No! Amity's different, she'd never hurt me. She--"

"And what about everyone else?" she interrupted. "Sure, maybe you are a 'special' case, the first time a demon _hasn't_ turned on their loved ones, but look at her. She already looks ready to attack me and I haven't done squat." She put a contemplative hand to her chin, rubbing a finger across it thoughtfully. "Well, not yet anyway.” 

"B-But she hasn't attacked you! So she hasn't done anything wrong," Luz argued, feeling her stomach twisting into knots of dread. She could hear Amity's growling intensify, as though sensing Luz's distress, and took deep breaths, willing herself to relax. "She hasn't eaten or hurt anybody! She won't! I'd never let that happen!"

"What if she does? What will you do then?" The woman stood there, unswayed by Luz's words as they washed over her like a wave breaking against an immovable stone. She stepped forward, grasping her staff with both hands. The small owl on her shoulder watched attentively, the other ruffling its feathers and crouching in in preparation to take off.

"I'll… then…" Luz faltered, but as the woman took another step she found her voice, feeling a spark light up within her. "I'll find a cure! I'll make her human again and keep her from hurting _anyone_!" Luz held tightly to Amity's hand, silently hoping that that would be enough to keep her from making a mistake, keep her calm enough to not attack the stranger. "And if she does… if I mess up…" She looked back at Amity, their eyes meeting, before returning her gaze to the stranger before them. "I promised I'd protect her. I already failed once. If I fail again, and she hurts an innocent person…"

"Then what will you do?" the stranger prompted. "I assume you already know, but I want to hear you say it, kid. Prove to me that you're not just talk. You wanna travel with a demon? You wanna protect her? Then tell me. _What will you do?_ "

The words came out soft, but without hesitation or uncertainty. Just simple, grim resolve as Luz looked her defiantly in the eye and said, "Then I'll have no choice but to kill Amity _and_ myself." Amity's hand shifted in her grasp, and she could feel their fingers intertwine, as if she too wanted to show her resolve. Not to the stranger, but to Luz. "I failed to protect her and she became a demon. I have to make things right. I promised I'd never let anyone hurt her again. So if she becomes a man-eating demon… I'm the only one that can stop her. And not only would that be twice that I broke my promise to her… but I can't just leave her alone again. I'll never abandon her."

They stood there for a good, long moment, until the stranger… laughed. She reached up and moved her mask, setting it to the side of her head and revealing a handsome but pointed face, amber eyes gleaming with approval as her lips stretched out into a wide grin that revealed a prominent gold canine. "Well said, kid."

The complete turnaround in the woman's attitude stunned Luz, and when she turned to give Amity an incredulous look she saw even the demon girl looking confused instead of hostile. The woman turned and walked away, gesturing for them to follow. "Come on, let's get a move on. We'll want to find shelter for Little Green before the clouds clear, sunlight just destroys demons and you don't want her to get caught out in the open. Plus I wanna see if you've got what it really takes to make good on your word; no offense kid, but you look like a stiff breeze could knock you down, heh."

Luz snapped out of her confusion, pulling Amity along behind her as she ran to catch up with the woman. "Wait! What are you talking about? What's going on? And I still don't know who the heck you are!"

The woman stopped and turned, snapping her fingers as though she just realized she'd forgotten something. Which wasn't far from the truth, really. "That's right! Almost forgot I'd gone with the whole 'mysterious entrance' schtick." She winked at them before making a grand sweeping flourish with her staff, lifting one leg and balancing precariously on the other, extending her left arm with her palm facing forward while holding the staff in the other hand and pulling her right arm back, proclaiming her introduction all the while. "I am the Great Sage of the Forest, the woman of whom the mere mention of my name will make the very heavens shake! Freer than the four winds and wilder than Susano'o's storms! I am Eda, the Owl Hermit!" With the final declaration she brought her foot back down with dramatic force. 

"And the strongest demon slayer in all the land," she added, almost as an afterthought.

"You're a demon slayer!?" Luz yelped, drawing a frown from Eda. Honestly, she'd been expecting a bigger reaction. Amity just stared at her, currently pacified by the feeling of her fingers still intertwined with Luz's. The self-proclaimed Owl Hermit let out a disgruntled sigh.

"Yeah, that's right. I know all the ins-and-outs of hunting down demons. You can't ask for a better teacher than me."

"Wait, teacher?"

Eda raised an eyebrow at her questioning tone. "You wanted to find a cure, right? Well, lesson one kid is that people become demons when demon blood gets into their wounds. Meaning that Little Green didn't become a demon by accident. It was on purpose. And there's only one demon I know that does this sort of thing for fun. But that can wait for later." She turned to walk up the path, looking at Luz expectantly. "You've got something to do before anything else, don't you?"

Luz looked away, her hand gripping Amity's tightly. This seemed to attract her attention, her face scrunched up in concern as she squeezed back lightly. "Yeah… I do."

Laying her mother's body to rest was the hardest thing Luz had ever had to do. On their way back, Luz found herself hoping that maybe she'd been wrong, that Camila had clung to life like Amity had, that by some miracle she could save her, too. But reality wasn't so kind. Luz was amazed she was able to keep her composure the whole way through, breaking the frozen ground with Eda's help to dig a hole deep enough to discourage any scavengers, Eda bringing out Camila's body and laying her down in a surprisingly gentle manner. Time seemed to slow down and speed up simultaneously; by the time she found herself kneeling in front of a mound of dirt, lighting a stick of incense and offering a prayer, she had completely lost track of time.

"Hey kid." Luz looked up to see Eda looking back down at her, wearing a solemn expression that seemed out of place on her. "If you've got anything else to tell her, take your time. Even the Buddha knows better than to eavesdrop on the words from a child to their parent." With that she walked away, presumably back to the house to scavenge whatever supplies they could use for their journey. 

Luz knelt there for a while, struggling to find the words to say. She'd only gone through this once before, when her father died, not long after he'd passed on his earrings that she now wore. But back then she had her mother with her, someone to support her and share in her grief. Now Camila was gone, and so too did it feel as though a part of her had gone with her. A hand on her shoulder drew her attention and she saw Amity kneel down next to her, ears drooping slightly. 

No, she wasn't alone. Amity had known Camila too, had been welcomed and loved like she was her own. Even though it seemed that she was still missing most of her memories, the fact that she remembered enough to be able to see what Luz was going through… it helped. And so Luz found the words she wanted to say, for herself and for Amity.

" _Gracias, mami_ , what you did, if it weren't for you… I don't know if I'd still be here. When you protected Amity, you saved me too." She could feel her breath hitching in her throat, tears burning her eyes as she struggled to keep talking. "I… I'm gonna be going away for awhile, me and Amity. We're gonna find a way to return Amity to normal. And we're gonna find the demon that did this to us, to you. 

"Part of me wants to find him _because_ of what he did. It's his fault, that Amity was turned into a demon, that you… that you're gone. But I think, deep down, I know that you'd scold me for thinking like that. That that's not why you'd want me to go after him, even if you think it'd be too dangerous. It'd be to stop him and make sure he doesn't hurt any more innocent people."

A small hand crept into hers, giving a reassuring squeeze. She squeezed back. "I'll see you again one day, _mami_ , _deja una luz puesta para mí. Te quiero._ " Wiping her eyes and letting out one long, last, shuddering breath, Luz stood, helping Amity to her feet before they returned to the house, letting the snow fall gently into the silence they left behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...This was not an easy chapter to write. Comments always appreciated. 
> 
> Owlbert and Hooty - In this fic, they are a Ryukyu Scops Owl and Eurasian Eagle Owl, both species found in Japan. 
> 
> Tengu - A Japanese yokai, essentially a winged old man or a bird person, often regarded as powerful and divine. 
> 
> Haori - Japanese robe worn like an overcoat 
> 
> Hakama - Japanese pants wide in the leg 
> 
> Tengu Geta - Wooden sandals that have only one "tooth" to stand on as opposed to two


	3. First Blood

The sun had set by the time they set out.

Luz was thankful for Eda's insistence that they leave as soon as they were ready. Going through the bloodstained house, collecting whatever they could use for the journey and hiding away everything else of personal or monetary value that they couldn't bring along, had been hard enough. She didn't think she had it in her to spend even one night there, not when the grief and sense of loss was still so raw. The words she had said at her mother's grave had given her a little bit of closure, but there were some things that could only heal with time.

With Eda standing guard, Luz had taken the time to get Amity cleaned up, heating up water and using a wet rag to clean off the dried blood as best she could. The hardest part was cleaning the blood out of her hair, but Luz felt she had done a rather decent job of it. It had been a small shock to find that Amity's wounds had healed with nary a scar to show for it; she wasn't sure if that was a normal thing demons could do, but she figured she was going to learn sooner or later, especially if Eda was being serious about teaching her about demons and how to fight them.

Considering that Amity couldn't exactly travel in a torn, bloodstained  _ kimono _ , Luz had dressed her in a fresh set of clothes. Now the demon girl was wearing a plain black  _ haori _ over a muted magenta  _ kimono _ with a  _ shippo _ pattern, secured at the waist with a pale pink  _ obi _ wrapped with an orange cord that had been decorated in white with an  _ asanoha _ pattern. Thick black cloth had been wrapped around her legs and secured with strips of white cloth and the ensemble was completed with simple white socks and polished black wooden  _ zori _ sandals. Eda had also insisted on Amity wearing a gag made from a piece of bamboo and held in place with a red cloth; Luz had initially argued against it, but she grudgingly caved when the demon slayer pointed out that it was safer than risking Amity biting someone and getting a taste for flesh and blood. 

The remaining issue was with her hair. Luz knew Amity always preferred to tie her hair up, keeping her bangs out of her face and brushing the rest behind her ears, but in her current state that hairstyle exposed a rather obviously inhuman trait. So she tried to brush it down and to the sides, just enough to make her pointed ears stand out significantly less, but Amity kept making an annoyed, pouting face and brushed her hair back behind her ears every time she did, revealing them once more. Eventually Luz gave up and just tied her hair up, which at least had the result of the demon girl giving her a pleased look that made her heart melt.

They still had to worry about her ears, but considering they were unlikely to run into other people at night Luz decided to set aside that problem for later.

Luz had taken the time to clean herself up a little as well, but was dressed a lot more simply than Amity. Under a purple-and-white checkered  _ haori  _ she wore a plain sky-blue robe and dark blue pants, with thick bands of white cloth wrapped over her shins for extra padding, finishing with black socks and plain wooden  _ zori _ . Strapped to her side was an old hatchet, its leather sheath cracked and worn, freshly sharpened. 

The only other thing of note was a  _ tanto _ knife with a simple, unassuming design. Its handle and sheath were carved from bamboo and painted black, polished to a shine, appearing as one solid piece except for a thin seam. The most interesting part of its design were the vines of wisteria flowers that wrapped along its length, painted in a deep violet color that drew Luz's gaze whenever she looked at the knife, her eyes following the twists and turns of the vines. It had been a gift from her father to her mother when they had wed, passed down through the family for generations, always gifted to their intended chosen. Camila had never formally passed it on to her, not like how her father had given Luz his  _ hanafuda _ earrings, but Luz felt it was far too important to leave behind. So she slipped it into her waistband, faintly realizing she now carried with her mementos of both her late parents; it was oddly comforting, and helped ease the rawness of her grief.

With a bag slung over her shoulder packed with supplies, Luz took Amity's hand and led her outside to where Eda waited, the Owl Hermit looking at a small, squat hut standing nearby with interest. She didn't even turn when she heard their approach, instead saying simply, "Didn't take you for a charcoal seller; no offense kid, but you don't look like someone used to doing that sort of labor."

"My name is Luz, not 'kid,'" Luz said firmly, "and you're not wrong. Apparently Dad's family were charcoal makers, but after he passed we only really used it to make enough to last us through winter. Mom... she made enough as a doctor that we didn't need to do more than that."

Eda simply let out a noncommittal hum at her reply before finally turning to face them. "I'm guessing you're ready to go since you're out here now, so let's not dawdle. I live waaay over there, on Mt. Sagiri, a few days' travel from here." She gestured vaguely towards some mountains in the distance, not bothering to clarify which one. "Plus we'll need to figure out how to travel during the day without Little Green turning into a pile of ash."

"Actually I have an idea for that, but it'll have to wait until we pass by a village," Luz said brightly, Eda quirking a curious eyebrow at her before a soft coo caught her attention.

The tiny owl that Luz remembered seeing with Eda before was gliding towards them, flapping its wings a couple times as it landed on the tall woman's shoulder. It hooted softly at her and Eda nodded, grinning. "Well, Owlbert just confirmed the way is clear, so we don't gotta worry about running into any trouble at least." She looked back at Luz, her eyes flicking momentarily to the house before returning to the girl. "You sure you're ready, kid?"

Luz inhaled and let out a steady breath as she closed her eyes, memories of warmth, happiness, and love flowing through her mind. As though able to sense her hesitation, Amity squeezed her hand and Luz took a moment to enjoy the small feeling of comfort the sensation gave her before opening her eyes. "Yeah. I'm ready."

"Then let's go." Eda let out a piercing whistle as they began to walk, Luz looking back at her home one last time, her eyes settling on Camila's grave for a moment, before turning away. If Amity had noticed the tears bubbling at the corners of her eyes, she gave no indication except to increase her pace a little to walk closer to Luz. A large shape winged its way towards them from the darkness, ultimately revealing itself to be an enormous owl that settled back on Eda's open shoulder and letting out a self-satisfied hoot.

The direction Eda led them was off the beaten path; there were no paths or roads to speak of, save for the game trails that Eda pointed out to Luz made by wild animals. It was a little disappointing that the way they were going led away from the village Luz had known all her life; she was sure that people would notice the disappearance of the local doctor and her daughter and all kinds of rumors would crop up. Most of all she wished they'd had the time to stop by so she could at least let friends of the family like the old apothecary know what had happened and say her goodbyes. But that was time they didn't have, and who knows how they would have reacted to Amity. 

As they walked Eda would occasionally send Owlbert off to scout ahead, though how she understood the little owl's reports whenever it returned was a mystery to Luz. Perhaps that was how she'd earned the Owl Hermit moniker, if people really did call her that. The other one--Hooty, Eda called it, which struck her as hilariously on the nose--remained perched on Eda's shoulder for the most part, though it occasionally flew off in pursuit of whatever random thing had caught its interest. Luz could've sworn she'd seen leaves poking out from its beak at one point, but wisely decided to put it out of her mind. Instead, as the moon reached its zenith in the night sky above, the forest giving way as they found themselves on a road passing through open fields, she decided to finally broach the subject that had been weighing on her mind.

"Hey, um, Miss Owl Hermit..."

"Ugh, please, just call me Eda, 'Miss Owl Hermit' makes me sound old and stuffy," Eda interrupted, quietly mouthing an exaggerated 'blegh' for emphasis. 

"Right, Eda. Just Eda. So, uh," Luz began again, politely deciding to set aside any thoughts regarding the demon slayer's age, "you mentioned before that you're a demon slayer--"

"The  _ strongest _ demon slayer."

"Yeah, exactly, and you said you're gonna be my teacher, right? What am I going to learn, exactly?"

"Oh you know, a bit of this and that," Eda said vaguely as she glanced back at Luz, letting out a laugh at the exasperated expression on the girl's face. "Don't worry, you'll find out soon enough. Though I guess there's a few things I can tell you now that might help you with Little Green over there." She tapped her chin thoughtfully as she considered her options. "Okay, so you already know demons are weak to sunlight. Expose a demon to direct sunlight and they burn up just like that." She emphasized her words with a snap of her fingers.

"Most everything else is little more than an inconvenience for them at best, but even so it's not entirely hopeless. Wounds don't just heal themselves, it takes energy, which is why a demon gets awfully hungry after healing some bad wounds and I doubt Little Green is an exception." Eda pointed at Luz, a stern look coming upon her face. "You got lucky she didn't eat you. Demons are especially hungry when they first transform, the change from human to demon takes a lot outta them. That also means you need to keep a close eye on her; she hasn't eaten anything yet and it's only a matter of time until she reaches her breaking point."

Luz nodded as she considered Eda's words, realization slowly dawning upon her of just how monumental the task she had taken up for herself was. But the warmth of Amity's hand in hers reminded her  _ why _ she had done so and she felt her resolve strengthen. "Have there been others, other demons that refused to eat someone?"

Eda was silent for a good long moment, her lips tightening into a thin line before she answered. "I've seen people try to do what you did. It happens all too often; siblings, parents, lovers, friends, they convince themselves that the demon that used to be their loved one would never hurt them. Only to become the demon's first meal." She looked back at Luz and Amity with a determined gaze, a smile tugging at her lips as she regarded the two girls. "I dunno what's different with you two, what sort of miracle happened to change your outcome, but I'll be damned if I let this chance slide.

"To really answer your question though, before you two I've met only one demon like that. I'll tell you the whole story later, but it's one of the big reasons I'm no longer part of the Demon Slayer Corps."

It took a few seconds for Luz to process what she'd just heard, but her yell of shock was loud enough to make Amity wince. " _ WHAT!? _ Not part of... but you said you're a demon slayer!"

With a grimace and a groan, Eda stopped and turned to fully face Luz. "I  _ am _ a demon slayer kid, I just had some issues with the Slayer Corps and we ended up not seeing eye to eye." At the sound of urgent hooting, Eda turned and she and Luz watched as Owlbert came swooping in from the darkness, the owl letting out a series of hoots as it landed on Eda's shoulder. The demon slayer frowned before turning back to Luz. 

"Looks like there's trouble I gotta take care of. I'll explain more later, but for now," she pointed further down the road, "keep going for a while, you'll see a set of stairs on your right leading up to a temple. The head priests there knows who I am; just say you're with the Owl Hermit and they'll take care of the two of you until I return. I'll leave Hooty with you too, he'll keep you safe." Hooty hooted in agreement and hopped off Eda's shoulder to perch on Luz's; he was surprisingly heavy and almost caused her to lose her balance. 

Owlbert took off and Eda followed after the little owl until both were swallowed by the darkness, leaving Luz, Amity, and Hooty on their lonesome. Glancing at Hooty and raising an eyebrow at Amity, Luz shrugged and tugged Amity along as Hooty made itself comfortable on her shoulder, being surprisingly gentle with its talons to avoid piercing her robes into the flesh beneath. As they went, Luz became steadily aware of just how  _ quiet  _ it was, increasing her pace as a feeling of dread settled into her gut and forcing away the memory of the last time she'd experienced such stifling silence.

Hooty's presence was at least somewhat of a comfort; Luz hadn't realized just how reassuring Eda's presence had been until then. Her absence combined with the silence of the world around them made even the faintest shadows seem menacing. Her grip on Amity's hand tightening, Luz placed her other over the handle of her hatchet, tense and alert. It wasn't until she saw the carved stone steps that Eda had mentioned that she allowed herself to relax a little. 

It was a long way up and Luz's legs were aching by the time they reached the top, but she felt a lot safer than on the road. An open courtyard greeted them, a path lined with stones marking the way to the temple proper, lanterns lit with flickering flames and washing the area in a warm glow. A small forest of trees served as a natural marker for the boundaries of the temple grounds, surrounding it on all sides. Ahead Luz could see light shining through the gaps in the  _ shoji _ doors and though in some places the paper was torn it still held an inviting appearance. 

A smile breaking out on her face, Luz led Amity forward as Hooty departed from her shoulder to perch in a nearby tree and preen smugly at a job well done. As she got closer, Luz could see a shadow silhouetted against the paper squares on the door, relief flooding through her at the thought that she wouldn't be bothering someone by waking them up in the middle of the night. As she reached towards the door, grasping the edge with her fingers and sliding it open, a thought occurred to her, wondering exactly why anyone would be up so late.

The first thing she saw behind the door was a pool of blood, slowly expanding towards the doorway.

The second were the bodies: A tall middle-aged bald man with fresh, crimson blood streaming past his terrified, lifeless eyes and dripping to the floor. A middle-aged woman with her hair tied up in a bun, her face locked in a silent agonized scream, her head attached to her neck by thin strips of flesh. Three smaller bodies, clustered in a shadowy corner of the room, limbs bent at unnatural angles.

Third, in the middle of it all, crouching amongst the bodies and covered in blood, was a woman with pale skin, oily reddish-pink hair pulled up into a large messy ponytail, wearing a tattered and filthy  _ yukata _ , her feet bare but splattered with blood. Her back was turned to the door, but Luz could hear her noisily chewing, the sound so wet and raw that it made her feel sick to her stomach just listening to it. She paused at the sound of the door sliding open, turning to regard the intruders with a glare and slurping a long strip of what Luz realized was  _ human skin _ before baring her fangs at them in a toothy snarl.

"This is  _ my _ territory, get away from my feeding ground!" she growled, licking blood off her clawed fingers as she stared angrily at them. But a second later, her eyes narrowed as she studied Luz. A wide grin, an  _ impossibly wide  _ smile, stretched across her face and she began to cackle madly. "Wait a minute... you two are  _ human _ aren't you?" 

There was no time to react. The demon was upon Luz in an instant, barreling into her and knocking her away from the door where she landed painfully on her side. As Luz sat up with a groan she saw the demon standing not far ahead of her, stalking steadily towards her before crouching and pouncing at her again, jaw outstretched and a wicked cackle leaving her body as she screamed,  _ "Let me eat your skin!" _

Before she reached her there was a flash of metal and the demon stumbled back, clutching her neck as Luz scrambled to her feet, bloody hatchet in hand. Seeing this, the demon giggled, that unnerving ear-to-ear grin stretching out across her face. "Nice try, but that won't be enough to stop me." She pulled her hand away from her neck, where Luz could see the gaping wound sealing shut. "See? No more bleeding." 

With even greater speed than before the demon came right up to Luz's face, flashing her a toothy smile and seemingly savoring Luz's yelp of surprise before grabbing her and slamming her to the ground. Luz struggled in her grip, attempting to bring the hatchet back to bear, but her arm was pinned beneath one of the demon's hands. The demon's other hand was on Luz's throat and she cackled, a long tongue running wetly across her teeth and fangs as she leered down at the human. "Nuh-uh-uh! Not doing that again!  _ I'm gonna snap your neck! _ "

Meanwhile, a different sort of battle was taking place with Amity as she stood by the open door, her eyes wide as she stared at the broken, mutilated bodies. Her pupils had narrowed into slits, her body trembling and streams of drool running down her chin. She could feel it again, that  _ overwhelming hunger  _ threatening to cloud her mind. Her fingers twitched, her hands spasming, as she fought against her natural instincts, the smell of freshly spilled human blood invading her senses. It was overwhelmingly intoxicating and she could feel the gnawing pit of hunger grow the longer she stood there.

But a sound cut through the haze, a wordless cry that resonated with Amity. Like sunlight cutting through the fog, her mind cleared, her hunger receding as she tore her eyes away from the bodies. She turned around, searching for the source of the cry, until her eyes saw Luz, struggling, with the other demon on top of her, pinning her down. A snarl escaped her throat at the sight and she surged towards them, claws extending as she raised her hand and swiped at the demon's head.

One moment, the demon was cackling madly as her grip tightened around Luz's throat.

In the next, her head  _ flew _ , sailing through the air until it hit a tree, the headless body collapsing like a puppet with its strings severed. Luz stared up at Amity, feeling a mixture of shock and awe as Amity stared contemptuously down at the decapitated demon.

_ She killed her! Bam, just like that! Well, I mean, she  _ was _ a demon... _ A startling thought occurred to Luz and her brow furrowed in simultaneous concern and intrigue, a crimson blush spreading across her face as her eyes lingered on the demon girl.  _ And is it just me or... was that kinda... sorta... _

Her thought process was interrupted as the demon's body suddenly moved, reaching for her throat once more, only for Amity's foot to slam into its gut and knock it away from Luz. The human's eyes bulged in shock at the distance the body flew as it landed near the treeline with a heavy  _ thwump _ . Though it also troubled her that the body had managed to move without its head and her eyes traveled to where the demon's head had landed, only to see it glaring angrily at them.

"What the hell is this!?" she snarled, teeth gnashing in furious anger. "I knew something was off! One of you is a demon!  _ What are a human and a demon doing together!? _ " As Luz was registering the fact that the demon's head was clearly  _ still alive  _ and able to talk, the thumping of footsteps resounded as the demon's body charged them, grappling with Amity as the green-haired demon snarled at her attacker. 

As Amity struggled to break free of the other demon's grasp, Luz quickly clambered to her feet, hefting the hatchet in both hands with a yell, "Let go of her!"

Just as Luz began her swing, from the corner of her eye she spotted movement and quickly changed her trajectory. With a loud  _ clang _ her hatchet's blade was caught between the teeth of the demon's head and, to her shock and disgust, two tiny arms that had sprouted from the stump of the neck grabbed at her with small hands. The demon's hair came loose from its bun as the demon struggled to disarm Luz, teeth still clamped firmly around the blade. 

A muffled cry caught Luz's attention and she turned to see the headless body knee Amity in the gut, causing her to double over as she wind was knocked out of her. The demon's body followed up with a kick that knocked Amity to the ground before grabbing her and throwing her into the forest surrounding the temple, leaping after her into the shadows of the treeline. 

"Amity!" Luz cried, before turning her attention back to her opponent with an angry growl. She didn't have time for this! A fire burned in her gut as she met the demon's glare with one of her own, releasing the hatchet from her grasp. "Let. Me. Go!" She planted her palms firmly on either side of the demon's head and reared back before slamming her forehead into the demon's, causing her to cry out in pain and shock. Her grip on Luz loosened slightly and Luz brought her head crashing down into the demon's once more, wincing at the impact, but the demon was utterly stunned by the blow and let go completely.

During their struggle, the demon's hair had gotten tangled around the hatchet's shaft, but that did little to deter Luz. With a mighty shout, she grabbed the hatchet and threw it, sending it spinning through the air with the demon's head unwillingly tagging along for the ride. It came to a stop as the blade embedded itself firmly into a tree and the demon found herself trapped, both pinned between the shaft and the tree and hair wrapped far too tightly around the hatchet to undo. Even worse, with how tiny her arms were, she couldn't get a secure purchase on the weapon and remained trapped as Luz ran to find where the demon's body had gone chasing after Amity.

She found them struggling by the edge of a cliff, with Amity desperately trying to push back against the headless demon and away from the edge. Seeing the demon kick Amity again, catching her in the gut and breaking her concentration long enough for the body to prepare to launch another kick spurred Luz into reckless action as she charged. With a yell she tackled the body off the cliff, but before gravity claimed her to follow Amity grabbed the back of Luz's robe, causing her to dangle off the cliff edge as the demon's headless corpse crashed against the cold, unforgiving rock below. 

Amity and Luz waited a moment, watching the body to see if it moved. When it continued to lay there in a steadily expanding pool of blood, Amity pulled Luz up from the cliff and helped her to her feet, even fussing over her and checking for any injuries. This attention elicited a laugh from Luz and she grabbed Amity's hand to get her to calm down. "I'm fine, see? Not a scratch."

It was apparent Amity didn't believe her when she stared accusingly at a spot on Luz's forehead, causing the other girl's face to redden slightly. "Well, okay, but I've got a hard head! It's perfectly fine! Now come on," she began leading Amity back towards the temple, "we should check on the rest of the demon. Just in case."

As it turned out, that had been a good call. After what had occurred earlier, Luz wasn't shocked to find the demon still alive. She watched the demon struggle feebly against the hatchet and frowned, pondering what to do with the demon. Obviously she couldn't just let it go free and potentially hurt more people, but she wasn't sure how to go about finishing it off. Luz racked her brain for ideas, but she was sure the only method Eda had told her on how to kill demons was sunlight, and that seemed... excessively cruel.

Luz carefully pulled her mother's  _ tanto  _ knife out, one hand on the handle, the other on the sheath, debating whether she'd be able to finish it off with it when a loud hooting caught her attention. She turned to see Eda leap the final few steps to the top, Owlbert on one shoulder and following Hooty as he flew towards them, perching in the tree branches above the trapped demon. It occurred to Luz that she hadn't seen Hooty since they'd accidentally stumbled upon the demon; now she knew why.

"Luz! You okay?" Eda looked Luz over, noting with a quirked eyebrow the small bruise on her forehead, looking chagrined as she did so. "I disappear for a few minutes to clear out some nearby demons and go figure you fall headfirst into trouble while I'm out." She turned to examine the demon before letting out an impressed whistle. "Not bad for your first demon, kid. Looks like you handled yourself pretty well; I suppose you have a better shot at making it as a demon slayer than I'd expected."

She looked over at Luz again, her eyes falling on the knife she carried. Luz thought she saw an intense look of interest in Eda's gaze, but she blinked and it had vanished as suddenly as it had appeared. "Well, go on, finish it off. In times like this, you can't hesitate; you have to strike the iron while it's hot and go for the killing blow because believe you me, if you don't the demon will."

With a nod and an anxious swallow, Luz approached the trapped demon. She could feel Eda's gaze on the back of her head, calculating and judging, a teacher testing a student, as well as Amity's eyes following her movements, alert for trouble and ready to jump in at a moment's notice. Unsheathing the knife, she paused to notice that, for some reason, it possessed a black blade, her grip tightening before she thrust it forward, piercing the demon's forehead. The demon looked incredulously at the knife protruding from between her eyes before falling limp; as Luz removed the blade, she backed off in alarm as the head crumbled into black dust and was dissipated by the wind. 

Luz stared incredulously until Eda barked out a laugh, grinning down at her. "Well, well, you just keep getting more and more interesting kid. Remember earlier, how I told you that demons are weak to sunlight? That is really important, because the best way to kill a demon is with a sword forged from a special metal that absorbs sunlight. These swords are called Nichirin Blades.

"And kid? For some reason, it looks like you've already got a little one of your own."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shippo pattern - A common Japanese pattern made of several overlapping circles
> 
> Asanoha pattern - Also called "hemp leaf" pattern due to the resemblence
> 
> Zori - Simple wooden sandals, usually lack teeth like Geta sandals?
> 
> Tanto - A short single-edged knife, typically ranging from 6 to 12 inches long


	4. Trial

The world was gray.

It was stifling, suffocating, cold. Not a single ray of sunlight shone through the thick carpet of gray clouds that covered the sky, motes of snow falling like ash to cover the forest below. The naked branches of twisted trees reached for the sky, skeletal fingers seeking what wasn't there. Wisps of vapor drifted amongst the trees, further diluting what little light there was and submerging the world further in a sea of gray.

She wandered here in this empty forest, trailing her fingers along the cold, gray trees, feeling the snow parting beneath her feet without a sound. It wasn't her first time here, she was certain of that, but the last time had been so brief, so confusing, so much happening. No, she did remember clearly feeling the yawning pit of hunger in her gut, a hunger, a thirst, to fill that growing emptiness with lifeblood's warmth. It had been uncontrollable and overwhelming, had consumed every other thought. 

But something had cut through it, had filled her with the strength to resist that hunger. A flickering light in the darkness. 

She found it now, a beacon of color in this endless gray forest. A single tree, its bark a soft brown, the green of flower buds dotting its branches. When she touched it, images danced along its trunk, a girl with determination in her eyes, proclaiming words that she didn't need to hear to understand, for it was a promise that had etched itself onto her heart, her soul, a feeling she held close and refused to let go. 

It was so warm. As she kept her hand on the tree, she could feel it growing warmer beneath her touch, felt the warmth travel down her fingers, through her arm, flooding through her whole body. The images grew brighter, clearer, the colors of the tree itself growing deeper, more intense. The snow that fell from the sky disappeared upon touching the tree's branches instead of covering it and even the sky seemed to grow the tiniest bit lighter. 

But the flowers refused to bloom.

Slowly, reluctantly, she removed her hand, feeling the warmth disappear with the loss of contact and the images on the tree's trunk faded. The tree itself remained unchanged however, and she realized what she had to do. She turned her back to the tree, her eyes searching for another splash of color, determination in her golden eyes. Her mind felt just a little bit clearer now, her body felt just a little freer now. It wasn't as stifling, as suffocating, as cold as before; she felt just a little lighter, a little warmer now.

It would take time, she knew. But it would be worth it.  _ She _ was worth it. She had saved her from losing herself, had kept her promise and protected her.

Her fearless champion.

_ Luz. _

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After the incident at the temple, once they'd properly laid to rest the poor family that used to run it, Eda had decided it was best to increase their pace and they'd spent the rest of the night covering ground as speedily as possible. By the time they'd had to stop, finding a cave deep enough to hide Amity in before the sun rose, Luz could feel her muscles protesting, her lungs burning with each breath. Eda had not set an easy pace to keep up with and Luz suspected that was on purpose; it seemed that her training had started early. 

Eda had allowed a short break, staying behind to guard Amity while Luz backtracked to a small village they'd passed to obtain the materials for allowing them to travel with Amity during the day. When Luz returned carrying a large bamboo basket, a thick white cloth, and some extra bamboo she'd managed to convince the villagers into letting her have, Eda seemed to realize what she was planning and let her get to work reinforcing and repairing the basket.

After a couple hours Luz was satisfied with her work and brought the basket to the back of the cave where Amity waited. The demon girl hadn't been hard to convince to get into the basket, but a small issue had arisen when Luz realized Amity didn't quite fit. After a few moments of watching her try to wriggle her way further in and consequently give up and lay on the ground with an annoyed huff, head and shoulders in the basket, an idea struck Luz.

"Hey Amity, you can get bigger right? Can you also get smaller?" She started patting her back encouragingly, grinning as she chanted, "Smaller, get smaller Amity. Just think little thoughts!" Luz couldn't help but giggle when Amity swatted at her arms with another annoyed huff, but then watched in wonder as Amity pushed the basket upright as she wiggled further in and actually appeared to shrink. Peering inside, a giddy squeal escaped Luz at the sight, a small child-sized Amity looking back up at her with big, adorable golden eyes, her clothes now comically oversized.

" _ ¡Ay, qué linda! _ " she cooed delightedly, hands cupping her cheeks as she looked at the now-little demon girl. A strong urge to reach in and squish Amity's cheeks was resisted, mostly because she doubted Amity would appreciate that and she could see her giving her a look that just  _ dared _ her to try. Instead she busied herself wrapping the cloth around and over the basket, sealing it against the light of the sun. When she finished, she could hear light snores from within when she pressed her ear against the basket and smiled to herself. After the events of the previous night, Amity deserved all the rest she could get.

The basket was, thankfully, easier to carry than expected, once she'd slipped its straps over her shoulders and had it sitting comfortably against her back. Despite her exhaustion from earlier she figured she'd be able to handle carrying Amity until nightfall, even with the pace Eda was setting. Stepping out of the cave, she nodded in reply to Eda's quirked brow, quickly making to keep up with the demon slayer's stride as they set off. 

Luz quickly discovered there was a big difference between carrying a basket with Amity in it and carrying a basket with Amity in it while trying to keep up with Eda. She was amazed that the older woman had so much stamina; was that normal for a demon slayer? Even after having rested somewhat for a couple hours, Luz could feel her body protesting against the exercise. Her muscles burned and ached, feeling like lead as she struggled to keep her limbs moving. The air seemed to burn in her throat and lungs and she could feel her robes getting soaked with sweat. But she refused to give up.

To Luz's credit, she didn't pass out until well after the sun had passed its zenith.

When she awoke, the first thing she was aware of was the feeling of something warm pressed against her front and the feeling of being carried. Opening her eyes, she saw green hair, felt bare skin against her face. With a start Luz realized she was on Amity's back, her head nestled in the crook of the demon girl's neck. Now that she was more awake, she could feel Amity's arms looped around her legs; feeling her arms against her legs was making Luz distinctly aware of how  _ strong _ the demon girl was despite her slim frame and even through the layers of cloth she could feel the ripple of muscle. It brought to mind just how effortlessly Amity had been able to tear off the demon's head at the temple, how she'd been strong enough to grab Luz one-handed and keep her from falling off a cliff, her amazing strength when she'd had Luz pinned to the ground and--

Luz was very quick to cut off that train of thought as she sat up and tapped Amity's shoulder to signal she was awake, hoping that her face wasn't as red as it felt. As she belatedly realized night had also fallen, she also prayed that it was dark enough to hide it.

Feeling Luz tap her shoulder, Amity looked back at her but kept walking, her grip tightening slightly and eliciting a small squeak from her passenger. A hearty laugh drew Luz's attention to see Eda a fair bit ahead, wearing the empty bamboo basket, smirking slyly at them. Feeling the heat rush to her face again but unable to escape, Luz settled for burying her face in Amity's hair with a groan. 

Now that the haziness of sleep had worn off completely, Luz could feel every ache and pain in her body, the reaction of muscles pushed beyond their limits. She let out another groan, this one of obvious pain, and drew another laugh from Eda.

"That's what you get for pushing yourself too hard, kid. I know I said we had to hurry, but you haven't slept since yesterday morning have you? I'm also willing to bet that you aren't used to staying awake for so long while exercising so much." Eda glanced back at Luz with a stern look. "Don't get me wrong, it's admirable you're able to push yourself so hard at all, but part of training is knowing how not to overdo it. I'm going to be pushing you to your limits as is; don't need you almost killing yourself on top of that. So for now, just rest. Between me and Little Green, any trouble we run into will be a cinch."

Luz simply nodded in reply, and while she was pretty sure Eda didn't see her do so she figured that Eda already knew she'd gotten the message. So she allowed herself to relax against Amity's back, wrapping her arms around her shoulders. The steady rhythm of her movement, of the sound of her footsteps and the light sound of her breathing, served to soothe Luz further. Despite having just woken, she could feel her eyelids growing heavier, could feel her body and mind settling further into a relaxed stupor as Amity's warmth seeped into her, warding off the winter night's chill.

As the sound of light snores reached her ears, Eda allowed a small smile onto her face as she looked back at the girls. Barely two days and she was already finding herself fond of the kid; the demon too, for that matter, for how willing she was to look after Luz. It had been a surprise for her when, not long after the sun had set, the sounds of struggling and muffled, unintelligibly angry cries emanated from the bamboo basket. After unwrapping the cloth, Amity had burst out and fretted over Luz; if Eda hadn't explained to Amity that Luz had simply passed out from exhaustion, she was certain the demon would have lashed out in a fit of anger and concern. 

It wasn't long after that that Eda helped Amity get Luz onto her back and carry her. Really, Amity was quite interesting and Eda's confidence that she'd made the right decision to allow her and Luz to travel together only grew the more time she spent with the two girls. She had never seen a demon recover even a fraction of their previous selves so quickly, if at all; that was one of the main reasons new demons never hesitated to eat their loved ones after all, they didn't recognize them as anything but food. Whatever coincidences of fate had allowed for Amity to turn out so differently, Eda could only hope the pair's luck continued to hold out. 

Looking at the girls, Eda couldn't help but think about coincidences of her own. Luz's brown skin and hair, Amity's green hair and brown roots, they brought back memories of another pair Eda had gotten involved with. Feeling familiar memories bubble up, she quickly shoved them back down, shaking her head as Owlbert came swooping back towards her, returning with the results of his scouting trip. Reminiscing about those two troublemakers could come later; right now she had a duty to see through. 

_ Then again, perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to do a bit of reminiscing _ , Eda thought with a smile as she half-listened to Owlbert, her mind going a mile away.

Amity watched Eda carefully as she followed her, golden eyes seeing through the darkness of night as clearly as the light of day, oddly comforted by the feeling of Luz on her back. Luz. The human was... important to her. She only had the vaguest ideas of why, fragments of memories flickering through the shadowed haze that was her mind carrying feelings of warmth, safety, affection, most tied to the girl she was currently carrying. Just being near her quelled the whispering hunger, pushed it to the back of her mind where she could ignore it. Eating humans was wrong; she didn't remember why, but she felt that it was.

There was also that small worry about what she might do to Luz if she were to lose herself to her hunger. Luz was human after all, and if she ate humans... She had a bad feeling. At least in that respect she could trust her instincts.

Remembering. Memories. Luz. The more time she spent with her, each time Amity got to touch her, hear her voice, inhale her scent, the more  _ something _ burned within her. Some forgotten thing that pushed her to protect Luz, to fight for her, to trust her. As that forgotten thing grew from smoldering embers to a tiny flame, so did Amity's desire to remember. To reclaim the memories she knew lay somewhere within. To figure out just  _ why _ this human was so important to her.

But for now, Amity was content to let Luz guide her actions. When her mind was finally free of the haze, unclouded by the darkness that had swallowed almost entirely the person she used to be... Then she could stand before Luz and finally understand both why she was so important to her and the forgotten feeling that burned within.

When Luz awoke again, the night was near its end. Though her body was still sore, she felt rested enough to walk on her own, as well as carry Amity's weight when she had to go back in the basket before the sun rose. This was apparently enough to assure Eda that Luz could keep up as the sun had barely risen when they'd resumed their breakneck pace. But to Luz's surprise she found it a little easier to keep up this time; apparently she really had been in need of some sleep.

That didn't make running after Eda less of an exhausting endeavor however. Thankfully they weren't dashing through a forest or climbing cliffs, mainly following a road through fields and rice paddies, passing the occasional homestead or tiny cluster of a village. The only breaks Eda afforded were just long enough for water and a light meal before they were off again. And honestly, Luz was thankful for the extra effort she had to put in, it kept her thoughts focused, from thinking about unpleasant things that would threaten to overwhelm her if given the chance. She knew she'd have to face these thoughts again eventually, but was content to put them off for now.

Besides, it was interesting studying Eda as she moved, feeling excitement bubbling within her at the prospect of learning to do what the demon slayer could do. For one thing, the whole time Eda's footsteps were  _ nonexistent _ . She moved with nary a sound, as though she had such perfect control over her body that she was able to regulate how hard her sandals struck the ground, how smoothly she cut through the air. Then again, Luz wouldn't be surprised if she was. Even when both owls were on her shoulders Eda ran as though unburdened, though that was less surprising as Owlbert was tiny as is and Hooty was large but deceptively light. 

For another, despite having gotten even less rest than Luz, Eda still seemed to be perfectly alert and aware. Running the whole day didn't even seem to put a dent in her stamina; her breathing remained even and steady the whole way through, her movements remained crisp and smooth and  _ quiet _ . Luz found herself wondering what sort of sword techniques the demon slayer used and grew excited before realizing with some confusion that she'd never seen her use a sword. Eda had her staff, but she didn't seem to have anything else on her, let alone a sword.

Well, nevermind that for now.

Night had fallen by the time they reached their destination. Eda had insisted on not pausing to let Amity out to walk alongside them after the sun had set, informing Luz that they were near, and she hadn't been wrong. They were at the base of Mt. Sagiri, in front of a house Luz assumed was Eda's. It looked old, older even than Luz's home had been and that one she'd been told had been in use by her family for generations. Despite its obvious age however, it looked well-maintained.

"Alright kid, put Little Green inside and follow me," Eda said, drawing a startled look from Luz. Seeing the expression on the girl's face she smirked. "The past couple days were just a warmup. Your true test starts further up the mountain. So try not to take too long."

Biting back a tired groan, Luz slid open the door and stepped inside. She peered around, unable to resist taking a quick look. The main room was a simple one with worn  _ tatami _ flooring, a square pit for a fire dug in the front, various chests and drawers set into alcoves against the walls, and a couple partitions leading to other rooms in the house. Oddly she could see the soft glow of embers in the firepit; did someone live with Eda? 

Shrugging the mystery off for later, Luz set the basket down and untied the cloth covering it. Amity's head popped out almost as soon as it was off, giving Luz an annoyed look. Luz simply patted her head and Amity's expression changed to a begrudgingly forgiving one.

"Hey, I gotta go do something with Eda, stay here okay? Don't cause any trouble until I get back." Luz studied Amity's face, looking for a response. The other girl simply stared back for several moments until she gave a tiny nod and a muffled affirmative sound. Amity shrank back into the basket as Luz smiled and stepped back outside, sliding the door closed behind her. Taking a deep breath, she looked at Eda and nodded. "Okay, I'm ready."

She followed Eda up the mountain, making their way through a forest thick with a fog that only seemed to grow thicker the further up they went. The demon slayer was not making it easy; she rarely traveled in a straight line and her lack of footsteps meant Luz had to rely entirely on her sight to keep her in view and even though several times she'd nearly vanished into the fog. Luz suspected that they'd looped around several times, but had no way of proving it. 

There were other things Luz noticed as they climbed the mountain. The air grew thinner the higher they got, becoming more and more difficult to breath. The fog was practically bathing the trees by the time Eda stopped, and the thin air combined with all of the day's exertions so far left Luz feeling much more exhausted than she'd expected to. It was more than just physical exhaustion too,  _ breathing _ took far more effort than she'd ever needed before for such a simple act and as a result she was left feeling increasingly lightheaded.

Just like before, Luz noticed that Eda seemed to have no issues breathing, as though they hadn't just hiked halfway (or even more) up an entire mountain. "Alright kid, this is where we part ways. You've got 'til sunrise to make it back down. Good luck!" With a nonchalant wave, Eda disappeared into the fog. Luz waited a moment before going over to where Eda had stood, kneeling down to examine the ground.

Though it was night time and the fog clouds dispersed whatever moonlight would have aided her vision, by now her eyes were used to the dark and she carefully ran her fingers across the soil. There! Some shockingly shallow impressions that had to match the teeth of Eda's sandals, and Luz grinned. All she had to do was follow the general direction of Eda's tracks and she'd be well on her way. She'd have to be careful not to get lost and stick to Eda's trail if she were to cross back down before daylight, but Luz was confident she could manage. 

That confidence turned out to be just a smidge misplaced.

She'd been doing rather well she thought, continuously following the slope of the mountain downhill and occasionally pausing to make sure she was still on the right trail, when she almost tripped over her first snag. A thin rope was stretched out low across the ground and would have caught Luz's ankles if she hadn't caught sight of it while checking for Eda's tracks. Patting herself on the back for noticing it, Luz grinned at the thought of outsmarting her potential mentor.

That was when, after stepping over the trap, the ground gave way for the  _ real _ trap and Luz yelped as she fell into the covered pit. She landed painfully on her back and stared up for a moment, stunned.  _ A pitfall trap? Seriously Eda? _ After a brief moment of realizing that she was in for a rough night, she got back to her feet and began clambering out of the hole. Luz had barely managed to pull herself out and taken a few steps when she felt the pull of a rope against her shins.

_ Oops. Wrong way. _ A creaking noise and the sound of something heavy flying through the air was all the warning she got before a log the length of her arm and as wide as her head came soaring through the fog. She barely managed to raise her arms to protect herself before it slammed into her, knocking her back into the pit. Luz groaned painfully, noting that while she was  _ definitely _ going to feel a nasty bruise later, at least nothing was broken. But it looked like the true test wasn't just finding her way back, it was also fighting her way back.  _ How many traps could there be anyway? _

Luz quickly discovered that the way back down was absolutely  _ littered _ with traps. Besides pits and logs, there were rope traps that yanked her off her feet, stalks of bamboo held back that when released struck her head and shoulders repeatedly or outright knocked her to the ground, and a couple times a hail of rocks catapulted at her from the darkness. Each trap served to whittle down her concentration, energy, and time and she knew it.

But Luz was beginning to figure out how to spot the traps. There were always signs, no matter how well hidden, that something was out of place and she was getting more used to spotting those differences through the darkness and fog. The soil covering pitfall traps was devoid of growing plant life, ropes traps were avoidable as long as she paid attention to the spaces between the trees, there was a slight telltale creaking noise that gave away a branch or bamboo being restrained when the wind blew, and so on. 

Even so, oftentimes the placements of these traps meant there was no avoiding others. Traps set concurrently or well within range of each other, sometimes multiple getting set off at once if they were close enough together, proved to be her bane. But Luz endured it and pushed through. She already knew she wasn't fast enough to be able to dodge the traps she activated; she just needed to know something was coming at least and prepare herself for it, to waste less time recovering from the blow. 

The sun had just begun to rise by the time Luz found herself standing once more before the old house. She was covered in scratches and bruises, blood leaked from scrapes on her limbs and head and a split lip, and she had an obvious black eye from where a rock had smacked her face. And yet despite her injuries, despite feeling absolutely ready to collapse from both physical and mental exhaustion, a prideful, excited smile shone on her face as she knocked on the door.

Eda slid the door open, looking the girl up and down as she stood before her. The impressed smile on the demon slayer's face was just as big as Luz's, amusement shining in her eyes at the girl's expression. Luz straightened her posture as best she could as she looked Eda in the eye, the light of the sun illuminating the fire in her eyes and shining off of her brilliant smile. "I... I'm back. I'm back, Eda!"

Seeing her made Eda's grin widen and she could feel anticipation bubbling in her gut. This kid was something alright. "Welcome back, kiddo. Come on in, I'll get you patched up and then you can get some rest. I've also got someone I want you to meet now that you'll be staying here. But before that, let me be the first to congratulate you on officially becoming my student, Luz Noceda.

"Because tomorrow, your training begins!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter was a bit short, but it's mostly a bridge to what's coming next so hang tight!
> 
> Also, I forgot to do this last chapter but I invite y'all to come on down to The Good Witch Society server on Discord! We gots creatives of all sorts who are helpful and supportive, some names you might even recognize from here on AO3, and just love to have a big ol' gay time! These people are just overflowing with love and support so come check it out and join the chao--fun. Join the fun.   
> https://discord.gg/59EhTn9EfX


	5. Training

The world was gray.

Despite her efforts, the sky still remained thick with dark clouds, flowers still refused to bloom, and snow was ever-falling. But she remained undeterred; she had resolved to do what she could, to recover as much as she could. Until she was better, stronger, more in control, she refused to give up. Even if it meant she would remain trapped in this lonely, isolated world, it would be worth it in the end. If her fearless champion had the resolve to do what she must to protect her, there was no way she could do any less.

She remembered a little more now. They were still small, still fragmented, and not all were pleasant, but they were memories nonetheless. Warm soup, fed to her a little at a time, with tenderness and care. An embrace, a soft reassurance that she had a place she could be, that she would always be welcome, that she could remain. Cold, freezing water buffeting her every which way, until she finally pulled herself free onto solid ground. Amber eyes peering at her with concern, and the sound of shattering metal. 

Though she didn't understand yet how all these memories were connected, why they mattered to her, she held them close, their presence enough to fill her with warmth. But the forest was huge and there was still so much to find. It took time to find the trees that resisted the grayness of the world, and while each one she awakened seemed to rouse more from their slumber, it never seemed to be in any predictable pattern.

So for now she would wander, she would continue to search. 

Then next time they saw each other, when she was herself once more...

Maybe then she could tell her...

\------------------------------------------------

Luz had the bad feeling this was going to become a pattern.

When she awoke, she almost regretted it, her entire body feeling like a single, massive bruise. Nothing was broken, thankfully, but Luz felt so sore that, despite wishing for the mercy of unconsciousness, the pain kept her wide awake. With an annoyed groan she pushed herself into an upright sitting position, noting gratefully that at some point after returning to Eda's home and passing out she had been tucked into a  _ futon _ . 

Hearing the sound of light, even breathing, she looked over to her left and saw Amity sleeping peacefully, laying in a  _ futon _ of her own, a blanket draped over her. That was probably why the room was so dark, a flickering oil lamp in the corner the only source of light. Luz smiled fondly at her, reaching out and brushing her cheek with her fingers. She felt a pang as she realized this was the most peaceful sleep she'd ever seen Amity have; not for the first time, she wondered what sort of nightmares had plagued Amity's dreams. 

It wasn't that Luz didn't have some idea. Though Amity had never really been open about what her life had been like before they'd met, her actions spoke enough. Especially her terror at the idea of leaving the house. And then there were...

Luz shook her head, clearing it of negative thoughts. No, Amity was safe here. And Luz would never let her be dragged back into whatever hell she had escaped from. 

With one last, soft look at the sleeping girl, Luz slowly, painfully, got to her feet and went to the door, wincing every step of the way. She slid it open to reveal the main room, Eda sitting cross-legged by the fire pit, a pot of some sort of stew hanging above the flames. The smell of it was enough to elicit an audible grumble from Luz's stomach and Eda laughed at the hungry expression on the girl's face.

"Good afternoon kiddo, c'mere and eat up, you'll want to enjoy today while you can," Eda said, filling up a bowl as Luz took her offer and sat by the fire. Accepting the bowl with a thankful nod, she dug in with gusto, humming happily. It was a simple stew with meat and vegetables, but in her current state it was absolute heaven for her stomach. As she ate, Luz couldn't help but notice how dark the room was, with the windows shut tight and the only illumination coming from the fire pit and a few oil lamps scattered about in the darkest corners.

Once Luz had had her fill, setting aside her bowl with the blissful serenity that comes with a full stomach, Eda spoke, "Tomorrow morning your real training begins, so 'til then I've got a couple things to talk with you about. One of them being..." She put a hand to her mouth, calling out, "Hey freeloader, get over here and meet the new kid!"

A sudden tremor shook the house, causing Luz to yelp in shock. Booming footsteps rattled the doors and windows, growing in intensity the closer they got. Luz shot a nervous glance at Eda, who simply returned it with a sly grin and raised brows. Then a sliding door slammed open, revealing a hooded figure wearing a black furred cloak that covered their entire body, a wolf skull ( _ Where did they get that?  _ Luz wondered) jutting out from the hood like a mask. 

Crimson irises set into bright yellow eyes peered out at her from beneath the mask, arrogant and haughty. "Who dares disturb the slumber of the King of Demons?" 

It would have been all so very intimidating, if it hadn't been for the fact his head barely came up to Luz's while she was  _ sitting _ and his voice seemed to squeak rather than rumble. The wolf skull, she realized upon closer inspection, also appeared to be hand carved from wood and was not actual bone. She looked back and forth between the self-proclaimed "King of Demons" and Eda, uncertainty and bewilderment written on her face.

Eda simply laughed, gesturing towards the diminutive figure before them. "King, this is Luz, I'm training her to be a demon slayer starting today. Luz, this is King, self-proclaimed 'King of Demons' and the demon I mentioned to you before."

Blinking in confusion, Luz looked at King as he studied her in return; he didn't appear impressed by what he saw. Luz, on the other hand, was just confused. "He's a demon? But he's so small and cute."

"I am not cute!" King huffed, stomping a bare foot. Eda just laughed at him.

"I know right? But yes, he is one. A rather odd one, to be sure though. He's never eaten people--at least as far as I'm aware--or shown any interest in doing so; he stays fed by hunting the wild animals on the mountain. He is also," Eda added with a grin, "going to help out with your training. I'll explain more tomorrow.

"The other thing I wanted to discuss was Little Green." Here Eda had Luz's full attention; rolling his eyes, King simply helped himself to a bowl of soup and began munching away as Eda continued, "She's been asleep since I came back down from the mountain and hasn't woken up since. Now hold on," she raised a hand at Luz's panicked expression, "she seems to be all right. There's nothing wrong with her from what me or King can tell. My guess? She's recovering and replenishing her energy; unlike King here, who still nourishes himself with blood and flesh of some sort, she hasn't. Either way, it's better than her eating someone.

"That all said, that means you have no excuse not to focus on completing your training. Which means," Eda sighed, a frown joining the annoyed expression on her face, "preparing you for the Final Selection Exam. Once you beat it, you're officially part of the Demon Slayer Corps. And much as I hate to admit it, you need to join them; I can manage on my own fine, but until you reach my level you'll need the experience, support, and most importantly the equipment they provide. That little Nichirin dagger you have won't be enough; you'll need a sword of your own." She gave Luz a warning look. "I left them for a reason, but that can wait until after you pass the Exam. Which won't happen until  _ I _ say you're ready to take it. So be ready kid; you're gonna in for a rough ride."

Eda had not been joking, but at the same time Luz realized Eda may have been downplaying it a little. It wasn't just rough; it was hell.

First thing in the morning, Eda brought her back up to where she had had Luz begin her test. The traps had all been reset and rearranged and Luz was informed that this was how she was to start off every morning. Luz thought it would be easier to go through than at night, now that the sun was up and she could see a lot more clearly.

She had been woefully naïve.

Apparently the only reason Luz had noticed the traps at all during the night was because they had been purposefully sloppy. On that first morning, the only time she was able to find a trap was by stumbling into it. And there were even more of them. She was a beaten, bruised mess by the time she'd made it back down the mountain, but that didn't deter Eda from moving right along into the next part of the day's training, a regiment of pushups, sit-ups, stretches, and other exercises to build her strength and flexibility.

By the time she was done with that, Luz was drenched with sweat and could feel exhaustion all the way down to her bones, but yet again that did nothing to stop Eda from merely giving her a short break to eat a light lunch and rehydrate before continuing her training. At least all it involved was practicing sword swings with a wooden sword. About a thousand times or so. Her arms felt ready to fall off by the end of it.

Finally, the last exercise of the day: falling. Eda, unarmed, instructed Luz to come at her with the wooden sword in hand and try to strike her with it. Luz's first hesitant attempt resulted in a throw that left her stunned and Eda casually informing her that with that attitude she'd have been dead before even hitting the ground. None of her subsequent attacks managed to land and she got thrown every time, but Luz felt she'd fared just a little better with each attempt at least.

After the sun set, Eda brought Luz in and patched her up, noting with a smirk that while Luz grumbled a bit at how ridiculously harsh the training was, she didn't actually complain. The girl knew she had to be stronger. She'd felt Amity's strength, had fought a demon that had tried to kill them; she knew the risks she was going to face in her quest. Luz was determined to see this training through, not just for her own sake, but for Amity's. Last time she'd only been saved because of Amity's demonic strength; they might not be so lucky next time. And Luz wanted to be able to properly uphold her promise.

As it turned out, King's role in training Luz was mainly resetting and rearranging the traps at night while out hunting. Over the next few months, Luz quickly discovered that as she got better at detecting and evading traps, they were also increasing in difficulty and severity. She'd even begun to question whether or not King had seriously begun trying to kill her when several knives came flying at her from the bushes, burying themselves up to the hilt in a nearby tree as she narrowly avoided being skewered. 

There were also times when Eda would have to leave; on these nights King would lecture her on the various properties and powers that demons shared. Though he refused to name the demon Eda said was responsible for transforming Amity into one (apparently Eda had instructed him not to), he did confirm it was the only way for demons to be born. All demons were human once, and most never recovered their human memories. He himself didn't really remember what he was like as a human, but he'd reassured Luz that the way Amity acted around her was a good sign she might recover. Luz looked forward to that day, her hope bolstered by King's words.

It felt... good, really, noticing her steady improvements as time passed. She became more adept at noticing tiny, subtle details, not always consciously either; sometimes she would just  _ feel _ something was off. Eda called it a "sixth sense" and told her it was usually from her senses picking up little details that, while not significant enough to consciously attract her attention, still registered as  _ off _ to her brain. As Luz got better at recognizing when her sixth sense was going off, she also improved at noticing what details were triggering it, often early enough to avoid falling into a trap or avoid it if it went off.

Other things were steadily added to her regimen as the months passed. After a month, Eda handed Luz a real sword to train with. It was far heavier than the wooden sword, its handle wrapped in brown, the edge of the blade a bright yellow color, and running down the mountain with it was a far different experience than Luz had expected. Its added weight and bulk slowed her considerably, the first time with it leading to a number of injuries Luz hadn't experienced since her first week of training. But she eventually grew familiar with its weight, how it felt in her hands; the same exercises Eda had had her doing with a wooden sword she now did with the real thing, and that aided Luz greatly in her familiarity with the weapon.

Though she admitted she had once again hesitated about attacking Eda with a real sword, just like on the first day Eda had swiftly reminded her of the vast difference in their level of skill and experience.

Eda had also threatened that if Luz broke the sword, she would do the same to her.

While she trained with the sword, Eda lectured her on its properties and how to fight demons, constantly drilling tactics and advice into her. 

"The best way to kill a demon is to decapitate it; it can't regenerate if you cut off its head with a Nichirin sword."

"Chopping off limbs can stall it, but powerful demons can regrow 'em even if you used a Nichirin sword. So don't let your guard down even if you manage to get a leg off them!"

"I  _ said, _ step lightly! I can hear you a mile away, kid!"

Eda had also begun teaching Luz the various techniques of her personal sword style. According to her the fighting techniques used by demon slayers were categorized into styles known as "Breathing," all centered around using certain breath patterns to increase the oxygen in their blood. This oxygen increase enhances their physical and mental abilities, allowing them to be able to fight on more equal terms with the inhumanly powerful demons. 

This explained to Luz why Eda had her train on the mountain every day, having her climb higher and higher as she grew used to breathing in the thinner air. It wasn't just about endurance; it was to increase her lung capacity and improve her breathing efficiency as well. Eda also began training her on how to breathe properly during combat, as well as how to maintain her breath when being struck. Luz found out rather quickly that being struck repeatedly in the gut was even worse than it normally was when one also had to focus on their breathing at the same time.

The Breathing Style that Eda used was, predictably, called Owl Breathing; she said it was derived from the style she had originally learned, one that focused on the strength of her legs. This one did too, but in a different manner. Eda had Luz practice walking at first; she smacked her legs with a length of bamboo if she heard so much as a leaf crunch beneath her feet. Eventually this escalated into having Luz try to sneak up on her instead of charging her head on during "falling" practice. This proved to be exceptionally difficult, especially as King had privately informed Luz that Eda's hearing was far sharper than the average human's. 

Controlling how she distributed her weight was even including in her morning mountain runs, as Luz found when she realized the number of covered pitfall traps and other weight-sensitive traps was steadily increasing. If she stepped lightly enough, she would manage to avoid setting off the trap, but if she placed even the tiniest bit of weight over the limit, the punishment was quick and severe. Luz had to admit, King's skill with traps was amazingly precise; he'd hinted that his Blood Demon Art, the special powers that demons unlocked when they were powerful enough, was involved somehow but never went into specifics.

Six whole months passed like this, with Amity asleep the whole way through. To say Luz was worried about her was an understatement, but every night, as she lay in her  _ futon _ waiting for sleep to claim her, the sound of Amity's light breathing nearby, their  _ futon _ laid out next to each other, soothed her into unconsciousness. At least right now, Amity wasn't plagued by the nightmares that used to haunt her every night; it was probably the best rest she had gotten in a long time.

Still, Luz hoped she would wake up soon. She missed her, missed the feel of her hand in hers and the fondness that spread through her when she looked into her golden eyes. Even if Amity had not spoken a single word since becoming a demon, Luz still missed the little ways Amity would react to her attention, to the words she spoke. She missed her company. 

At the end of the sixth month, Eda announced that Luz was ready for her final test. If she passed, she would be considered ready for the Final Selection Exam. And all she had to do was...

"Slice this hunk of junk in half, and you're officially good to go," Eda proclaimed with a sweeping gesture, smirking as Luz's jaw dropped at the rock that sat in the clearing. It was huge and round, sitting taller than her and twice as wide. A thick rope festooned with zigzag-shaped paper  _ shide _ streamers was wrapped around its center. As Luz stared at it, wondering how she was supposed to accomplish the task, Eda walked away with a casual wave. "I've got nothing left to teach ya, kid. From here on, it's your show. And don't forget what I said about breaking my sword!"

Luz turned to watch Eda walk off, returning her attention to the rock only once Eda had disappeared from view. She frowned and raised her sword contemplatively. She took a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling. She breathed in, and out. Her focus narrowed until all she could perceive was the boulder before her and the sword in her hands. She let out a yell and brought the blade down.

With a resounding  _ clang _ it bounced off, the vibration rattling her arms and nearly shaking the sword from her grasp.

Like this, for two months Luz continued training on her own. King was kind enough to continue setting up traps every night, so in the mornings Luz could perform her mountain trials. The afternoon would be spent on her workout routine and swinging her sword, practicing the techniques Eda had taught her, focusing on her breathing. At the end of the day, she would try again to split the rock. Again and again she would swing at it, trying a new angle or a different technique. Again and again and again and again until her hands were blistered and sore, until she could barely grip the sword from the pain.

But again and again it held firm, refusing to yield even a tiny scratch.

Two whole months and no progress to show for it. Luz was practically snarling in frustration as she swung at the rock, as it stood firm against her assault. She had come so far, had improved so much,  _ and yet _ here she was, feeling as though nothing had changed. " _ Come on _ already! Why! Won't! You! Break!"

Each word was punctuated with another blow, and as usual she barely left a mark on the rock. Luz stepped forward and smacked her forehead against it, barely registering the blow in her frustration as she groaned. She raised a fist, slamming it against the rock as hot tears began to pour from her eyes. " _ Please _ ... Amity is waiting for me. How.. H-How am I gonna help her if I can't even get this right? What am I going to do...?"

"For the love of--just  _ shut up _ already!"

Startled, Luz stepped back and looked at the source of the voice. There was a young woman sitting on top the the rock, clad in a deep green  _ haori _ patterned with bamboo stalks over a white kimono, wearing black  _ hakama _ pants with thick strips of purle-and-white striped cloth wrapped around her shins for extra padding. Oddly, she wore a red Western-style knitted cap over her head, and her face was obscured by a white wooden mask carved in the shape of a cat with red facial markings, a thick red rope keeping it secured in place. Like Luz, the woman had brown skin and she could see dark brown hair spilling out from behind the mask and under her hat, and in one hand she gripped a battered wooden sword. _I didn't even hear her approach! Where'd she come from?_

There was contempt in the young woman's voice as she spoke to Luz. "What, you think  _ begging _ is gonna crack this thing open? You think  _ asking nicely  _ is gonna pass Eda's test? Fat  _ fucking _ chance!" She leapt off the rock, her sword swinging down at Luz as she came down. It was a sudden, quick movement but Luz brought her sword up in time, catching the wooden blade on her sword's handle and struggling to push back.

Suddenly the woman spun around, her leg sweeping over their interlocked blades and catching Luz's shoulder. The impact was shockingly powerful and sent Luz sprawling to the ground. But she quickly recovered, rolling back onto her feet in time to see the stranger was upon her once again. Once more she barely blocked her opponent's blade, her arms trembling as the woman pushed  _ hard _ , on the verge of tearing the sword from Luz's grip.

”So damn  _ weak _ ," the woman spat. "So. Damn.  _ Slow. _ And you want to be a demon slayer? What a joke." Without warning her strength slacked and Luz pushed forward unexpectedly, only to receive a knee to the gut for her trouble, double her over. Without hesitation the woman grabbed the back of her robes and flung her away to crash onto the ground with a groan.

She pointed her sword at Luz, waving it with a "come here" gesture. "Come on, prove me wrong huh? Get up and take a stance."

"W-What?" Luz's mind was reeling, but she stood back on her feet anyways, holding her sword defensively in front of her. "But all you have is a wooden sword! I can't just--"

"Oh? You're that worried?" the woman interrupted with a laugh, sounding genuinely amused by Luz's concern. "You really think you can hurt me? That's so sweet. But..." Faster than Luz ever expected, the woman was upon her and their blades locked together once more. 

"There's no chance in hell you'll hurt me. I already split  _ my _ boulder ages ago."

"You did?! How?" Luz exclaimed in shock. The woman didn't respond and simply twisted their blades, sweeping her feet and sending Luz crashing to the ground. A frustrated  _ tsk _ escaped from the woman as she looked down at Luz.

"Didn't you learn  _ anything _ that Eda taught you? Were you paying attention  _ at all _ ?" The woman watched as Luz shakily stood up, her hands clenched so tightly Luz could see her knuckles turning white. "You've mastered  _ nothing. _ You're still the same weak, scared little girl you were when Eda found you."

Luz gritted her teeth at the woman's words, feeling a rush of white-hot anger flare up within her. She took a stance, gripping her sword tightly with both hands as she glared at her. "I'm  _ trying! _ I train every single day, I work as hard as I can! But I can't..." Her voice faltered for a moment before it returned, harsh with anger and frustration. "No matter how hard I try, I'm not getting anywhere! I can't seem to get any better than this!"

The woman rushed her and their swords met, Luz fighting back in earnest as they blocked and parried each other's blades. Like the rock, the woman seemed an impenetrable wall, smoothly deflecting Luz's strikes with ease, striking her with her wooden blade whenever Luz presented an opening. Finally, she knocked Luz's blade aside and sent Luz sprawling with a kick, her voice ringing out as she berated her.

"Then stop fucking  _ trying _ and just do it! Beat it into your flesh and blood, beat it down into your bones!" She pointed her sword at Luz once again, staring her down as though challenging her to get back up and attack her. "Take everything that Eda taught you and  _ make _ your body understand! Force it if you have to! Because the only other choice you have is to roll over and  _ die _ . So  _ come here and show me what you've got! _ "

With a wordless cry Luz was on her feet and charging at the cat-masked woman, swinging her sword with all of her might. All of her anger and rage, all of her frustration was poured into that single strike. She could hear her blood rushing through her veins, could see her focus narrowing until all that remained was the woman before her. 

All of that meant nothing as the woman smoothly side-stepped her swing and brought the tip of her wooden sword up, crashing into Luz's chin and sending her flying. The girl landed on the ground with a  _ thud  _ and lay still, knocked into unconsciousness by the young woman's blow. She let out a sigh, soft and disappointed. 

From behind the trees another young woman joined her, kneeling down by Luz as she looked over her injuries. She wore a pink  _ yukata _ decorated with plum blossoms in white, red, and orange, a sleeveless white  _ haori _ tied with a black  _ obi _ worn over it. This young woman wore a mask as well, white with red and black markings carved in the shape of a fox, held up with a thin blue rope. Her hair was a wild mane of summer green that fell over her shoulders, with visible brown roots where it connected to her head. Part of the unruly mass was restrained in a short ponytail with a red ribbon, and she moved her mask to the side of her head to reveal amber eyes that gave the other woman a look of disapproval.

"You went a bit rougher than you had to, Lucia."

"Yeah, yeah, sorry," she replied unconvincingly, casually bracing her wooden sword across her shoulders with both arms. "So? Think you can help her, Ames?"

She nodded, her attention returning to Luz as she brushed the girl's bangs aside to reveal the scar on her forehead. A soft smile crossed Amelia's face. "Yeah, I got it from here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...I was waiting so long to bring these two into the story.
> 
> Anyways come join us over on the Good Witch Society server on Discord! Do you like art? Fanfiction? Meeting other creators in the fandom and watching them show off photos of their cats? Being drowned in a tsunami of love and support just for being yourself? Then come on down and join the fun! Trust me, the chaos is worth it.
> 
> https://discord.gg/sX8BVjN8r7


	6. Lucia and Amelia

Something else was here.

It was something she had suspected for a while now, as her thoughts slowly, oh so painfully slowly, became more and more coherent with each tree she revived. With every memory restored. Though the sky remained gray, the clouds continuing to pour the ash-like snow upon the forest below, and it remained so very cold, she could feel herself wresting steadily more control from the ever-present hunger that once tried to dictate her every action.

Now it lingered on the very edge of her thoughts; it was not quite gone, she doubted it would ever be, but her ability to think was far less clouded with it out of the way. And now she could feel it, a strange malignance, a sickly presence that nauseated her even as she tried to focus her attention upon it. Though she had no proof of it, she had a feeling it was one of the reasons none of the flowering trees would fully burst into bloom, why she could not fully restore memories that should be precious to her. It had infected the trees, steadily draining them of their warmth until they had become the gray husks she'd first seen them as.

But it did not belong here. This was  _ her _ forest. These were  _ her _ memories. Whatever it was, it did not belong here, and she would seek it out and destroy it. 

She looked back at her latest find, the memory she had most recently restored. Like so many others she had found, it featured a girl with tanned skin,  _ hanafuda _ decorated with rising suns hanging from her ears, and extraordinarily warm brown eyes. Every time she looked at her, there was a fluttering in her chest, a fondness and recognition that this was the last person she ever wanted to see hurt.

The first memory she had been able to recall was about her, even before she had begun wandering this forest. Of the promise the girl had made to her. There was a bond there, a feeling she didn't yet know how to name but knew she wanted to tell her. 

Every memory she found made her want to remember more about this girl. 

She pressed on, making her way amongst the trees once more, holding her recovered memories close, letting them warm her against the cold that surrounded her.

She never noticed the small figure that shadowed her from behind the trees, flickering faintly with weak magenta flames as it followed.

\------------------------------------

Dinner with Eda was, thankfully, no longer the awkward affair it used to be.

Sure, at first it had been a bit strained, with Luz having felt frustration with her mentor after the demon slayer had declared she had nothing left to teach Luz and just left her to figure out on her own how to slice through a boulder several times her size. But as the nights passed, so too had the tension, and now Luz just enjoyed the company, at least whenever Eda wasn't away on some errand or another. Sometimes she was even able to wrangle a story or two out of her from her days when she was part of the Demon Slayer Corps, though she noticed it never was any that sounded like they were from around when Eda had decided to leave the group. 

Honestly she was still curious about that and what, exactly, King's role had been in the whole thing. But all her attempts at drawing an answer out of Eda, both subtle and decidedly unsubtle, were about as fruitful as trying to wake Amity, so she'd eventually desisted entirely.

Eda hadn't questioned the bandages Luz had shown up wearing to dinner, instead simply welcoming her as warmly as always before shoving a tray of food at her. But she was questioning why Luz was oddly quiet. The girl wasn't even shooting her furtive glances, the surest sign she was getting ready to try to pry a backstory out of her yet again. Instead Luz was quietly moving her chopsticks between her food and her mouth, her brows furrowed in thought as she ate.

It would have been a welcome change had Eda not long grown used to Luz's chatter being a constant backdrop to the meals they ate together. In fact, the silence was a little unnerving. The demon slayer hummed in thought as she regarded Luz, wondering if she would have to be the nosy one for a change. She wrinkled her nose and snorted derisively. Yeah right. It was better to give the kid some space; if it was something that really bothered her, Luz would eventually say something.

Just as Eda predicted, not long after they'd finished eating, Luz laying on her back staring at the ceiling and Eda idly carving a block of wood, the silence was broken as Luz spoke. "Hey, Eda?"

"Hm?"

"What does it feel like? Y'know, when you use that breathing technique you taught me?" Eda glanced over to see that Luz's head was turned to face her, her expression a questioning one. "Not like, how to do it or what it's supposed to do. You already taught me that. Just, you know, how it actually  _ feels _ when you do it."

Eda quirked an eyebrow at her student as she pondered the girl's question. Certainly she  _ had _ made sure that the fundamentals had been drilled into her, but apparently Luz hadn't quite truly grasped what she was supposed to do. Though to be fair, Eda had hardly any trouble at all with her own training; performing the technique had come as naturally to her as, well, breathing. If it helped the kid master it, giving her a little nudge in the right direction wouldn't hurt.

"For starters, understand that our bodies are different; the specifics of how it works and feels for me probably won't be the same as it is for you. It'd be like if you tried to learn how King moves around and apply it the exact same way to your own movement; you won't be able to, because you two are built differently, demon or not. That said," Eda closed her eyes and inhaled deeply before letting out a slow,  _ powerful _ breath that gave Luz a better idea of just how extensively Eda had trained, "for me, it's like a bolt of lightning. Imagine taking all that power and energy and releasing it all at once, except through my arms and legs. That answer your question?"

"Kinda, yeah. Thanks, Eda," Luz said earnestly, looking back up at the ceiling with her arms folded under her head, her brows furrowing once more. Eda smiled and shook her head at seeing her disciple so unusually deep in thought and returned to her carving. Meanwhile, Luz was turning Eda's words over and over in her mind, trying to make sense of it and compare it to how  _ she _ felt trying to master the technique. 

Even as Luz went to bed later that night, Eda's words still on her mind, she lay awake, listening to Amity's steady breaths. She closed her eyes, inhaling, taking in a deep breath, and exhaling, letting out a slow, steady breath. Though Luz repeated this action several times, she didn't feel much different; maybe a little more aware, maybe a little stronger, but she certainly didn't feel the way Eda had described. Perhaps Eda was right; she'd have to figure out for herself how this technique felt to her. 

Amelia had told her it was called Total Concentration Breathing, the most essential and basic technique for a demon slayer to know. It had been a few days since Lucia had given her that sudden and painful wake-up call and Amelia had been the one to tend to her wounds while she was unconscious. Admittedly, it was embarrassing to think back on that moment and remember how she had bawled her eyes out, venting to Amelia her frustrations at her progress and recognising the vast gap in skill between her and Lucia. 

And then Amelia had smiled, firmly telling her that she knew she could master it, too.

In the days since, after her usual routine, instead of trying to slice the rock Luz would face off against Lucia. Just like in their first bout, Lucia would wield a wooden sword. And just like that first bout, Luz would get knocked about without being able to land a single hit, constantly being berated the whole time. It was humiliating, but useful in that Amelia would take over after Lucia called an end to their match for the day and help Luz go over her mistakes and how to improve. 

It was during one such lesson that Luz recalled her question and Eda's answer to it. After Amelia corrected her posture and stance for the umpteenth time, having Luz practice moving and going through the technique to get a feel for the difference her corrections had made, Luz asked her, "How exactly does it work? Total Concentration Breathing, I mean. Eda said it increases the oxygen in our bodies and that it makes us stronger, but she was, well…"

"Really bad at actually explaining it?" Amelia said knowingly, smirking at Luz's tentative nod. She let out a chuckle, a fond, nostalgic tone in her voice as she spoke. "Yeah, Eda was like that with me and Lucia, too. Lucia would get really frustrated when she tried to get her to actually explain anything, it was pretty funny watching them argue. I think that's just how she is, though; she'll tell you what you need to know, but just enough so that you can figure out the rest yourself. Or so she hopes anyway; she's a lot better at teaching you than she was with us, but some habits die hard I guess."

Luz couldn't help but smile at Amelia's tone, sensing the love she felt for their shared mentor. It was something she noticed as she interacted with the two women, even if Amelia was more open about it than Lucia. In the latter's case, aside from the hints Amelia dropped, it was evident in how offended she sounded every time she yelled at Luz for still not mastering what Eda had taught her. Clearly she at least respected Eda, and the occasional anecdote Amelia told, like now, shed a little more light on their relationship with her.

And Luz couldn't fault them for it, not after the eight months of her own she'd spent under the Owl Hermit's care.

Gesturing for Luz to put her sword away, Amelia took a stance, placing her feet a shoulder width apart, knees bent as she held her closed fists on each side of her waist, palms facing upwards. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply before letting out a slow, powerful breath reminiscent of Eda's and inhaling once more. Then she moved, her foot tracing a half-circle as it slid across the ground, her waist and shoulders pivoting as she threw a punch. Luz could  _ feel _ the wind against her skin from the shockwave Amelia's punch had generated, her mouth hanging open at that display of raw power.

The young woman turned to smirk at her, assuming a more relaxed stance as she casually ran a hand through her hair. "Total Concentration Breathing is more than just increasing the oxygen you breathe in to enhance your abilities. It increases the rate at which your heart sends blood pumping through your body; you should be able to feel how much faster your heart beats, your blood flows. And as you do…"

Amelia took Luz's hand and held it in hers, closing her eyes as she focused on her breathing. Luz's eyes widened as she felt Amelia's skin grow warmer as she breathed, before gradually returning to normal as Amelia returned her focus to Luz. "Your temperature will increase as well. And as the blood flows through it and feeds it more and more oxygen, your body will further respond in kind. How exactly it feels, well, I'm sure Eda already told you this, but it's never the same between people. Just as you can't pluck two leaves from the same tree and expect them to be exactly alike, so too do people feel things differently."

An exasperated groan from Luz brought another chuckle from the young woman. "So I just have to figure out how it feels for me? And how exactly am I supposed to do that?"

The grin on Amelia's face turned positively feral and Luz felt a chill run down her spine as the young woman looked at her with a ferocious gleam in her amber eyes. "It's easy enough. All you gotta do is train. Train so hard you could die. And then pick yourself up and train some more, until it feels like your whole body is gonna fall apart. That's all."

Her ensuing laughter, a harsh, wicked sound like the howling of a winter storm, did the exact opposite of easing Luz's concerns.

Still, Luz took Amelia's advice to heart and increased her training. She pushed her body to its limits, feeling a strain she had not felt since what felt like a long, long time ago, when she had first begun training under Eda. She raced down the mountain, sword in hand, avoiding, deflecting, and cutting through increasingly difficult and dangerous traps. She swung her sword what felt like dozens, hundreds, even thousands of times. Every day she felt as though her heart and lungs were about to burst, like her arms and legs would fall off, but as she felt it get easier, she increased her training regimen. 

Every day she challenged Lucia. And every day she still lost. Luz could see it though, the more they fought. She could see how Lucia moved, saw how every action had purpose; there was no wasted movement. Lucia exerted herself exactly as much as she needed to, applied only as much strength into any action as she needed. The young woman never seemed to tire during any of their bouts, her breaths coming out light and even from beginning to end. It should have been a disheartening sight, knowing that she was barely a challenge to someone of Lucia's caliber, it instead only seemed to spur Luz onwards.

When Luz recounted her observations to Amelia after one such fight, she found she couldn't help but recount how beautiful each movement was, couldn't help but admire the skill and discipline the young woman hid beneath her rude, gruff exterior. And Amelia, her face blushing crimson, had agreed wholeheartedly. Seeing the young woman's reaction made Luz curious about her relationship with Lucia, but one innocent question later and Luz was thoroughly dissuaded from asking any more questions ever. Amelia may not have been the one Luz was getting into actual combat with, but it was a definite reminder that she, too, had been Eda's pupil and was a lot more like Lucia than she let on. Thankfully, after that incident she still continued to patch up Luz after every bout, as well as assist her in polishing her form and technique.

Like this, Luz continued to train for four months.

It was winter now, snow gently falling from a cloud-covered sky. Luz could recall how, almost exactly a year ago now, the peaceful life she had imagined would last forever was irreparably shattered. Her mother had died protecting Amity, now a demon, still asleep even after an entire year, and here she was, training to become a demon slayer to find a way to return her to normal. 

And most of all, to make sure she kept her promise to her this time.

Luz's hair had grown in these long months, falling messily to her shoulders, blown about by the cold winds. Her  _ kimono _ was tattered and dirty; she barely had the time to clean and repair it with how much of her day was spent training. But she paid none of that any mind, all of her attention on the masked figure before her.

For the first time, unlike all the other times, Lucia now wielded a real  _ katana _ in place of her wooden one. It was as clear a sign as any that she was acknowledging how far Luz had come, that she was now willing to take the younger girl seriously. Luz could hear the smirk in Lucia's voice as she spoke, slowly drawing her blade from its scabbard. "Look at you. Finally, after all this time... you finally have the look of a real fighter in your eyes."

"Today, I  _ will _ win," Luz stated simply, seriously. Lucia chuckled as they assumed their stances, holding their blades before them as they stared each other down. Luz inhaled and could  _ feel _ the way her body was imbued with strength, felt her body warm as it was fed by the precious oxygen she had drawn in. She felt the aching soreness of her muscles, the exhaustion clouding the edges of her consciousness, all of it was banished as she took another breath and released it.

With each breath she took, it seemed to fuel a fire burning deep within her. It was like a miniature sun, burning hot and bright, an inner strength that seeped out into the rest of her body. Each breath caused that inner sun to burn hotter and brighter, until she felt as though it might overwhelm her. This was it, this was how it felt for her. Finally, her body understood what Eda had been trying to teach her, what Amelia and Lucia had been working to get Luz to understand.

This time, she could do it.

As though with some unspoken agreement, the two combatants moved as one. Luz could see as the world around them fell away, until she saw nothing but her opponent before her. As though in slow motion, she could see Lucia raise her sword, watched as she brought it above her head to bring it down on Luz. Lucia, as always, was incredibly fast.

But this time, she wasn't nearly fast enough.

With a flash of yellow and silver, Luz's sword reached Lucia first.

As the world around them was returned to full clarity, Luz could only stare numbly as the cat-faced mask Lucia wore fell into two perfect halves, revealing a smiling face with kind, warm brown eyes that bored deep into Luz's own. Her sixth sense tingled, and Luz turned to see Amelia nearby, watching them, wearing a matching smile of her own. But their smiles bothered Luz; they didn't look gleeful or celebratory. They seemed sad, almost, even as they conveyed feelings of pride and reassurance.

"You finally did it, Luz," Lucia said; her voice sounded odd to Luz's ears, as though she were walking away. But she was right in front of her wasn't she? "You won. So make sure, absolutely sure, that you keep winning from now on."

As Luz turned back to say something, maybe to ask what she meant, she gasped in shock at the sight. Before her was not Lucia, but a large boulder, perfectly split in two. Half of her sword lay in the gap between each half, leaving no doubt as to who had done it and what had happened, though her mind was reeling at the revelation. How? Hadn't it been Lucia's mask she had cut?

Amelia's voice echoed in her ears, distant and echoing, as though she too were disappearing down a long tunnel. "Hey Luz, do us a favor? If you ever meet a girl named Salix... tell her for us that what happened wasn't her fault. That we never blamed her for it. And that we're sorry for breaking the promise we made beneath the wisteria that day."

Luz turned to look, but she was already gone, too. She stood there alone in the clearing with the split rock, Lucia and Amelia's words burning into her memory. Her eyes welled up and burned with tears, though the reason eluded her. There was one thing she did know, however. 

She would remember them for the rest of her life.

The crunching of snow alerted Luz and she turned to see Eda walking towards her, a wide smile on her face. Her teacher's eyes lingered for a long moment on the split boulder before she turned her attention to Luz, her eyes glimmering with pride. "You did it, kid. You really did it." She placed a hand on Luz's head and ruffled her hair affectionately, and Luz was shocked to hear the Owl Hermit's voice crack with emotion as she continued to speak.

"I'm gonna be honest with you, Luz; I... didn't actually want to send you to the Final Selection Exam. Not after... but look at you, kiddo!" Eda laughed, clapping Luz on the shoulders. The girl was even more shocked to see tears welling up in the corners of Eda's eyes, even as the woman grinned down at her. "You've come so far... you really are something, I hope you know that."

Without really thinking, moving purely based on the emotions threatening to overwhelm her at that very moment, Luz threw her arms around Eda, pulling her into a tight embrace. Eda's eyes widened at the sudden contact, looking down at the girl as she clung to her. Her smile softened and, hesitantly at first, she wrapped her own arms around Luz and returned the gesture. They stood there like that for a long moment before Eda pulled away abruptly, coughing into one hand to cover up her sudden bout of softhearted touchy-feeliness. 

"Anyways, this calls for a celebration! Come on, let's get home and get you cleaned up."

Dinner was more extravagant than usual that night, Eda using the opportunity to show off her culinary skills with a gusto. Luz could not remember a time when she'd been so happy and so full, not since the days before the demon attack that changed her life. It was easy for her to fall asleep that night, passing into a dreamless slumber.

After a couple days of rest, Eda told Luz where the Final Selection Exam was to be held, using the resting time to help Luz clean herself up. She was surprisingly competent at cutting hair, restoring it to its former glory, as well as dressing her in new clothes given the state of her old ones. Now Luz wore a  _ kimono _ that matched perfectly with Eda's  _ haori _ , a red and white fletching pattern decorated with white gourds, even sporting a new set of black  _ hakama _ pants with strips of thick, white cloth tied around and providing extra padding for her shins.

Within the house, Luz knelt by Amity's side, praying the Final Selection Exam wouldn't keep them separated for too long. She held the other girl's hand and hoped she could hear her as she spoke. "I'm going away for a little while, Amity, but when I get back I'm gonna be a full-fledged demon slayer. Just you wait, you'll be back to normal before you know it. So... so be good while I'm gone. Don't cause Eda any trouble, okay?" She blinked away tears and, after a moment's hesitation, leaned forward and pressed her lips lightly against Amity's forehead before quickly pulling away. 

Firmly ignoring the heat that lit up her cheeks at her boldness, Luz left the room and scooped King up into a tight hug as she said her goodbyes. King grumbled a little at the sudden physical intimacy, but only briefly, and he still returned the hug. "Come back soon," he said softly before clearing his throat and looking away, huffing slightly. "N-Not that I care or anything! Just... I'd hate to lose a good subordinate. So stay safe." He leaned close, a serious look in his eyes as his voice lowered.

"For Eda's sake too. Make sure you return alive, Luz."

By the door, just outside the house, Eda gave her one last gift: a wooden mask carved with the face of an owl, painted white and decorated with red and black facial markings. A blue rope attached to it kept it on her head and Luz admired the feel of the grain as she ran a finger along the mask's surface. "This is a warding mask, it'll protect you from evil and misfortune," Eda said, surprising Luz as she pulled the girl into a quick hug before releasing her. "I'll keep an eye on Little Green while you're out; just do your best, remember what I taught you, and most of all stay alive, and stay safe. I'd hate for all my hard work training you to go to waste."

Luz laughed, a broad smile on her face as she absentmindedly patted the sword at her waist and walked away, waving as she did so. "I will! I'll definitely come back, Eda! And I'll you and King and Amity all about it! And Lucia and Amelia, too! Give them my thanks if you see them before I get back!"

As Luz turned away, her mind focused on remembering the directions Eda had given her, she missed the shocked expression on Eda's face. She didn't see the way Eda froze at hearing her student utter the last two names she thought she'd ever hear her mention. She didn't see the sudden, fresh tears that came unbidden, welling up in Eda's eyes and threatening to spill over. She missed Eda's words, soft and grieving.

"Luz, how... I don't remember ever telling you about them... How do you know those names? Those kids... they died over ten years ago..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun dun! Those of you who knew what was coming, my condolences. Those of you who didn't... my condolences.
> 
> Next chapter, the Final Selection Exam begins.


	7. Final Selection Exam, Part 1

It took a few days of travel, but Luz was able to reach her destination with ease. The site of the Final Selection Exam, Mount Fujikasane. Eda had given her a rundown of what to expect, but it was still far more breathtaking than anything she had imagined. Half of the mountain and most of the area surrounding it was a sea of wisteria in full bloom, making for an awe-inspiringly beautiful sight. Luz couldn't help but run a hand through the trailing vines, marvelling at the out-of-season flowers.

She wasn't the only one either. Others who had arrived before her were also eyeing the blooming flowers around them in wonder, even as they made their way to the site of the exam. The path, lined on either side by wisteria-laden trees, lead them towards a set of stairs topped by a tall crimson  _ torii _ gate marking the entrance of an open square-shaped plaza. Luz estimated there to be about thirty or so people already, with enough room for at least twice that number.

Casting her gaze about curiously, Luz could see that most of the people there were around her age, with maybe a few slightly older ones and, surprisingly, even one she suspected was a couple years younger by his height. It was a relatively even mix of boys and girls, slightly in favor of the girls, in a variety of  _ kimono _ from plain, subdued colors and rough, tattered cloth to brightly-colored and intricately patterned designs. But the one thing everyone had in common was a sword, whether strapped at their waist or slung across their back.

Luz felt anxiety growing in her gut as they all waited, the sun dipping low towards the horizon. She didn't seem to be the only one; there were more than a few anxious or worried expressions that she could see. Others wore impressive poker faces, while a few looked confident, even cocky, about the upcoming trial. One girl in particular caught her eye, bright pink hair pulled up into a tight bun, a nasty scar running through the center of her forehead like a third eye; she wore an expression like she had already passed the test, starkly contrasting the anxiously furrowed brows of the silver-haired girl next to her. 

As though sensing her gaze, the scarred girl shot Luz a nasty glare and she was quick to look away, just in time to see a surprisingly short woman step out from the wisteria trees that surrounded the plaza. She had blue hair pulled up into a bun with long bangs that hung over her right eye, the visible one brown and calculating, the tips of her hair ending in a brighter teal color. Her clothes were surprisingly plain, a dark brown button-up long sleeved tunic and baggy  _ hakama _ pants with strips of black cloth tightly wrapped around her shins, with a plain white  _ haori _ worn over it edged with a dull mustard-yellow trim. Besides her sword, its handle and sheath a plain, featureless white with a golden triangular handguard, the only other thing of note was the mask on her face that concealed everything from the nose down in the same colors and style as her  _ haori. _

The woman ignored the eyes of the crowd as they stared, steadily making her way to the front of the plaza, directly opposite from the stairway that led up to it. Her visible eye swept over the gathered examinees, hands clasped behind her back, and as she began to speak, it was with a calm, measured tone that sounded as though she had recited those words hundreds of times before.

"Greetings and welcome all of you to the Final Selection. I am Kikimora, right hand to the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps and overseer for this month's exam." She gave a wide, sweeping gesture towards the wisteria blooms that surrounded them. "Here, on Mount Fujikasane, wisteria blooms all year long, regardless of season, making it perfect for the trial you all shall soon undertake. For many years now this mountain has kept a variety of demons that demon slayers have captured alive prisoner, trapped by the ever-blooming wisteria that is nearly as deadly to a demon as the sun. 

"Your goal tonight is to survive. Halfway up the mountain's slope, the wisteria blooms end, allowing demons to roam free. It is there you will have to survive for seven days without any outside assistance; should you return by the dawn of the eighth day, you will be considered an official member of the Demon Slayer Corps and have passed the Final Selection."

Kikimora looked up at the sun as it steadily lowered beyond the horizon, watching as its final rays shone bright until, at last, the darkness of the night sky took over, revealing a crescent moon surrounded by twinkling stars. "With that, the exam will now begin. Go."

The crowd of would-be demon slayers surged forward, Luz amongst them, fanning out as they made their separate ways through the curtains of wisteria. It wasn't long until she found herself alone in a dark forest, now well beyond the safety of the flowers the demons so hated. She looked about warily, aware of the distant sounds of combat. No doubt some of her fellow examinees had already run into trouble; she hoped they came out okay.

Seven days. Kikimora's explanation of the exam lined up perfectly with what Eda had told her about the Final Selection, though she had mentioned that sometimes the length of the exam would differ depending on how many showed up to take it and how badly the Corps was in need of recruits. Food and water wouldn't be an issue; Eda had been very thorough at drilling such basic survival skills into her. The biggest hurdle to overcome would definitely be...

A pale, malnourished-looking figure burst from the treeline ahead of her, veins bulging across its forehead as it brandished clawed hands at her, drooling hungrily as it let out a mad cackle. "Finally! It's been sooo long since I last got to eat human flesh!" 

Demons.

Just as Luz was about to draw her sword, her right hand gripping its hilt, another demon appeared, screaming angrily at the first one. "Get lost! I'm gonna be the one to eat this kid!"

"No,  _ you _ get lost! I was here first!" the demon yelled back, the two of them momentarily distracted from Luz as they glared at each other. Just as Luz thought they were going to begin fighting, their heads snapped suddenly in her direction and they charged at her together.

"If I kill her first, I get to eat her!" 

"Not if I kill her before you do!"

_ Huh, King was right. Demons really don't work together very well. _ Time seemed to slow as Luz focused her attention on the two demons before her, the world around them falling away as she breathed. Inhaling deeply, Luz felt once more the sensation of a burning sun within her growing hotter and brighter, felt her senses sharpen as she watched the two demons get closer. 

Her sixth sense tingled.

_ Now! _

Luz stepped forward... and vanished.

The demons' eyes widened in confusion as they saw their prey disappear before them. Just before they could halt their charge, a dark sharp came falling down towards them, and with a flash of yellow and silver a sword was rapidly drawn from its sheath. The momentum of the movement spun the figure around in mid air and the blade bit through the back of the demons' necks, cleanly separating their heads from their bodies.

They died instantly, crumbling into ash before they even hit the ground.

Just as she had been taught, Luz twisted with her momentum until her feet touched the ground lightly and noiselessly, sheathing her sword and letting out a breath as she stood upright.  _ Owl Breathing, Third Form: Moonlit Hunting. _ She felt... surprisingly relaxed despite her life having been threatened not even a minute ago. All that training she had endured certainly hadn't been for nothing, and Luz couldn't help but grin as she remembered her first encounter with a demon out for her blood.

_ I've definitely come a long way since then. _

Turning to where the demons' bodies had disintegrated, Luz quietly clapped her hands together, bowing her head and closing her eyes, offering a small prayer for their souls. With any luck, if they were to be reborn as humans, they wouldn't suffer the cruelty of being transformed into demons again. Having done that, Luz left the area, remembering to make her steps as silent as possible to avoid unwanted attention.

It was after a couple more confrontations that Luz found herself being drawn towards the sound of fighting nearby, taking a page from her mentor's book and climbing up a tree to stand on a thick limb and try to see if she could spot the source. As it turned out, it wasn't too hard; it was a surprisingly large group making the commotion.

From what Luz could tell, what looked like at least eight different demons loosely surrounded two sword-wielding figures, a boy and a girl. The boy she remembered from her observations earlier, looking at least a couple years her junior, short with dark skin and short curls of black hair, his eyes such a dark shade of brown they were nearly black. His  _ kimono _ and his trousers were both a dark blue, his  _ kimono _ sleeves cut short to reveal black skin-tight sleeves ending in fingerless gloves; at his waist was a belt with several pouches and unidentifiable spheres attached to it. 

The girl looked to be the same age as Luz, but with a sturdier, stocky build. Turquoise-blue hair curled around her face, nearly long enough to brush against her shoulders, beads of sweat shining against her light skin as her green eyes, framed by a pair of large circular glasses, flicked about searching for an escape from their predicament. A green  _ haori _ with a tortoiseshell pattern lined in a lighter yellow-green color was worn over a dark yellow  _ kimono _ and grey  _ hakama  _ pants, and in her hair she wore a flower-shaped hair ornament. 

The two stood back to back, waving their swords threateningly at any demon that decided to step too close. But Luz could tell the stalemate couldn't last much longer; the demons' hunger would overcome their wariness soon enough and at that point they would then charge and overwhelm them. It was easy enough for Luz to decide what to do; there was no way she  _ couldn't _ help out someone in need.

With that, Luz leapt from the branch, startling the entire group, demons and humans, as she decapitated two of them before even touching the ground. The boy and girl were faster to recover from the shock of Luz's sudden appearance than the demons, taking advantage of the distraction to launch attacks of their own. 

The boy was amazingly fast. He was in and amongst the demons before Luz could blink, leaving afterimages in his wake. It looked almost as if there were two of him at once as he brought down three demons, cleanly decapitating them and their bodies disintegrating into dust as he came to a stop, letting out a breath as he turned to face the remaining demons. 

Neither of them needed to lift a finger.

If there was a word Luz had to use to describe the girl, it would be  _ strong. _ Her first attack cleaved a demon in two, the left and right sides of its body falling away and crumbling to ash as she turned her attention to the next one. And while she didn't seem to move as fast as Luz or the boy could, though the demons had recovered despite one raising its arms to block the girl's next attack, the sheer power behind her swing cut straight through its arms and into its throat, decapitating it. 

The last demon attacked her while she was busy with the other demon, probably thinking it would be able to take advantage of the distraction. But the girl just pivoted, using the momentum of her swing to bring her blade cutting through the air and intercepting the demon's leap. Once more the blade cut as cleanly through the demon as it did the air and the demon was dead before it even had a chance to hit the ground.

When no other demons showed up to attack them, all three breathed sighs of relief and grinned at each other. Luz was the first to step forward, greeting the other two with a small bow. "Sorry for butting in, you guys looked like you were in trouble and I wanted to help. I'm Luz, by the way, Luz Noceda."

"No, no, thank  _ you _ for showing up like that," the boy said, his grin widening into a broad smile. "That ended a lot easier and with a lot less injury than I thought it would! My name's Augustus, but you can call me Gus."

"I'm Willow," the girl said as she stepped forward with a smile, giving Luz a grateful bow of her own. "Gus is right, thank you so much for helping out. Where did you come from, anyway?"

Before Luz could answer, Gus cut in excitedly, his eyes shining as he regarded Luz. "Yeah, how did you do that? It's like you just fell out of the sky or something!"

Unused to all the attention she was suddenly getting, Luz felt more than a little bashful, cheeks redding as she rubbed the back of her head. "Oh, you know, just something my mentor taught me. Actually, that's pretty close to what I did; I just jumped over from that tree," she waved vaguely towards the tree she had been standing on earlier. "It's not much, Eda can probably cover three times the distance I did."

"That's still pretty amazing," Gus said in awe, looking back and forth between the tree and Luz, mentally calculating the distance. He looked like he was going to ask more questions when Willow cleared her throat, giving them both a stern look with a raised brow.

"May I remind you guys that we're still in a demon-infested territory? We can talk about this stuff in the morning, when it's safer."

"That's a really good point," Luz admitted, glancing over her shoulder warily. She didn't notice anything amiss, plus her sixth sense remained silent, so they were probably alright for now. Still, better to move than take any chances. Looking at the other two, Luz cleared her throat as an idea occurred to her. "Wanna stick together? Figure we'd have a better chance of making it through this test if we put our heads together."

Gus and Willow exchanged looks before turning back to face her with warm, grateful smiles. "We would love that," Willow said, Gus nodding enthusiastically beside her. 

As it turned out, moving as a group attracted more attention than alone, but it also made it easier to dispatch said attention. Plus Luz was eager to see what other Breathing styles were like, since the only one she'd ever seen was the one Eda had passed on to her. During the brief moments of respite between demon attacks, Willow and Gus would happily answer any questions she had about their techniques and she returned the favor in kind.

After seeing his blinding speed once more, amazed by the afterimages he left in his wake, Luz had asked Gus about the technique and he'd grinned at her question. "It's a really basic form of Mirror Breathing, the First Form; if we run into anything tougher than these guys I'll show you what I can  _ really  _ do with it!" His enthusiasm had excited Luz, and while she hoped nothing they couldn't handle would show up, she still hoped to see what he was talking about before the exam was over.

Later demonstrations of Willow's raw strength had also led to questions, prompting a soft laugh from her. "You're right, I'm not nearly as fast as you or Gus. But my dads knew that when they developed this style for me to learn; they called it Wood Breathing, and said it was based on Stone Breathing techniques. The user has to be strong and durable, yet flexible at the same time. You'll see what I mean later; we have a whole week after all."

Meanwhile, the praise and awe from the two at demonstrations of Luz's skills left the girl embarrassed and flustered, unused to such attention from others her own age. "Yeah, Eda put me through a  _ lot _ to train me, and that was even before she began teaching me Owl Breathing. She'd said that making use of your environment is an important combat skill, but also the first thing I needed to know how to do to learn the style. It's a lot of, like,  _ woosh _ and  _ fyoo _ and then  _ schwing _ !" 

Noticing that her audience of two had bewildered looks on their faces, Luz grinned apologetically and rubbed the back of her head. "Well, you know. You'll see."

The only thing they didn't question was how Luz always took a moment to pray for the souls of the demons they fought once the battle was over. They didn't join in, but they at least seemed to have an understanding of why she did it. They would've had to, if they were taught as much about demons as Luz had been.

It was a relief when the sun rose at last, its rays peeking over the horizon and bathing the mountain in its light. The trio sat in a loose circle, not quite exhausted but still feeling the previous night's exertions.  _ And there's still six nights left of this _ , Luz thought grimly. For now, however, they could rest and prepare for what the night would bring.

As it turned out, the night brought demons. 

Lots of demons.

Luz had no idea how so many demons were contained on the mountain, but she was sure that it had to be  _ too many. _ Sure, it was better than letting them be out where they could freely prey on people who couldn't fight back, but still! In the three nights that followed her teaming up with Willow and Gus, they'd twice stumbled upon demons in the middle of feasting upon examinees they had managed to overpower.

At least between the three of them they were able to give the remains the burial they deserved instead of being left out to rot or feed other demons.

The exam was far more grueling that Luz had anticipated, even with everything Eda had been able to tell her, both physically and, more importantly, mentally. Even Gus and Willow were beginning to look and sound worn, which made the daylight hours when they could take a break from fighting for their lives even more important. They took advantage of the down time to swap stories, tell jokes, anything to lift each other's spirits whenever they weren't sleeping or eating. 

"So you've known demons existed since you were little?"

"Mhm," Willow nodded at Luz's question as they relaxed in a clearing, the sun shining high overhead. "Because the clan head at the time was saved by a demon slayer, he vowed that the Fuji family from then on would support the Demon Slayer Corps however they could. That extended to branch family members like my dads and, well, here we are. What about you guys?"

Gus shook his head. "I didn't know they existed. They're pretty much considered nothing but superstition in cities like Asakusa that only 'country bumpkins' really believe in." A shadow passed over his face and he frowned. "But I know better now. And Dad... well, he was against me becoming a demon slayer. He means well, I know it, but... it's just something I had to do." His mood quickly shifted and he forced a grin as he looked at the girls, rubbing the back of his head. "Didn't expect the training to be so  _ intense _ though. Especially not from a retired ninja who turned out to  _ also _ be a demon slayer."

They turned to Luz and she shook her head as well. "In the village I'm from, there still weren't many people who thought demons were real. Only the really old folks really seemed convinced of it. So I didn't think demons were real either, not until..." She trailed off, an old memory coming to mind, a question she now had an answer to. 

Her heart ached as she thought about Amity, about how long it had been since she'd last seen the girl awake. About how much she worried for her. About how much she missed her. About whether it would have made a difference if she had known demons were real. But she had to wonder... had Amity already known that demons existed? The way she'd asked that question that day, as though uncertain whether Luz would believe her, had her thinking she might have. 

But Amity was in no shape to answer any questions like that. Not right now, maybe not for a long time, depending on how the search for a cure would take. 

A hand grabbed her shoulder and Luz looked to see Willow giving her a concerned look, Gus hovering close by with a similar expression on his face. "Luz? Are you okay? We can talk about something else if you want."

Feeling her breath hitch in her throat, Luz forced back painful memories and distressing thoughts as she nodded in answer to both questions. Willow and Gus pretended not to notice as she discreetly wiped her eyes on her sleeves, and she was grateful for that. They had painful memories as well, things they weren't ready to share, just as much as she did. None of them were insensitive enough to pry, perfectly willing to give each other the space they needed. After the exam, when they didn't have to worry about surviving another couple of nights, they could allow themselves to think of such things.

There would be plenty of time later.

Luz tried not to think too hard about the last time she had thought that.

The fifth night. Luz, Willow, and Gus were making their way through the night-shrouded forest, alert for danger, when a terrified cry caught Luz's attention. Exchanging only a single glance, the trio came to an agreement and ran in the direction of the sound, a cry that had devolved into an undignified babble, a mixture of begging for mercy and crying for help. 

It didn't take them long to find the source. An examinee dressed in a simple brown  _ kimono _ and grey  _ hakama _ pants, with short brown hair and a mess of tears running down his face from his dark brown eyes as he ran from a trio of demons, all of them snarling and arguing over who got to eat him yet doing nothing to get in each other's way as they chased him down.

This sort of thing was no surprise to Luz anymore. Demons hardly fought each other because there was no reason to; it was a waste of time and energy. They had no way to kill each other. So while they didn't share their kills or even try to work together, they were still better off using each other to try to sneak in a lethal blow rather than abandon the hunt if they were after the same prey. 

Still, at least their lack of cooperation made it easier to deal with them. Luz and Gus split away from Willow, coming around from the sides while she charged down the center. Luz caught the demon on the left off guard as she seemed to suddenly materialize out of the darkness, crouching low as a wild swipe of the demon's claws passed overhead. Her sword cut through the air, neatly severing its hands before, with a powerful leap, she came up from her crouching position to bring the sword cutting into its throat from below. 

_ Owl Breathing, Second Form: Rising Wing! _

At the same time Luz began her attack, Gus was doing his part. With practiced ease, in one smooth motion he grabbed one of the spheres on his belt and threw it at the demon on the right. His accuracy was something to be admired; it struck the demon perfectly square between its eyes, the fragile shell crumbling from the impact and releasing its contents directly into the delicate organs. As said contents were shards of crushed glass, it blinded the demon, causing it to howl in pain, the instinctive action of closing its eyes only pushing the tiny shards further in and damaging its eyes further.

Though the blindness would only be temporary, that second was all the time Gus needed. He leapt at the demon, bringing his sword parallel with its neck. The demon ran straight into his blade, the combination of its momentum and his neatly parting its head from its body. 

_ Mirror Breathing, Second Form: Fragile Reflection. _

The final demon, heedless of the fates of the other demons, continued its chase. Willow came to a stop between the demon and its prey, her feet planted firmly as she grasped her sword's hilt with both hands. As the demon came closer, she brought her sword up above her head for an overhead strike and brought it down. The demon laughed as it leapt to the side, intending to dodge her simple and very-obviously choreographed attack. 

Only for her to rotate her body, pivoting on her feet and adjust the angle of her swing as she brought it down. It cut straight through the demon, splitting its body into two halves. Before the top half of the demon could hit the ground, Willow shifted her grip to one hand and forcibly pivoted the opposite way from before, bringing her sword cutting back up through the air and through the demon's neck. 

_ Wood Breathing, Fourth Form: Switching Branch. _

With the final demon felled, the three examinees regrouped, now joined by a fourth, the boy they had rescued. He hastily wiped his face clean with the sleeve of his  _ kimono _ , beaming at them. "Th-Thank you so much! I really thought I was done for."

"Aw it's nothing," Luz said with a wave, grinning. "Always glad to help out a fellow potential demon slayer!"

"So, uh," he gave them a questioning glance, looking almost embarrassed, "you guys mind if I stick around? I promise you, I can fight too! I just got caught off guard a bit, that's all. Plus, it never hurts to have more people with you, right? You never know when you'll run into a big group of demons."

"He's got a point," Gus said, glancing at Willow, who shrugged noncommittally, then at Luz. She let out a hum of thought before nodding.

"Sure! Welcome to the team!"

"Thanks, I'm Mattholomule," he said with a smile, though it didn't quite reach his eyes; there was a look in them that Willow didn't like. She narrowed her eyes at him, but Luz was already introducing them, so she decided to shelve her concerns for now. She'd keep an eye on him though.

The group traveled together, on alert for more demons. Luz had taken point, her observational skills and sixth sense ideal for picking up anything out of the ordinary, Gus and Willow following behind. At their rear was Mattholomule, warily keeping an eye out. Willow couldn't help but notice how tense he was, how his eyes kept flicking over to them; she had a feeling she knew what he was about to do, but held her tongue. There hadn't been any trouble yet, and for now he was useful as an extra pair of eyes.

An hour later and they were all feeling significantly more on edge. They had not run into a single demon, which for the exam so far was already unusual. Normally they couldn't go ten minutes without encountering or spotting at least one. Mattholomule was getting twitchier with every passing minute, jumping at the tiniest sound. The others were faring better, but were still unnerved by the lack of action. 

"Where is everyone?" Gus said in a soft whisper, just loud enough for the others to hear him. "Even if we haven't run into any demons, you'd think there'd at least be some examinees nearby right? I know this mountain is big, but still."

Luz had to agree with him. Human or demon, they should've run into  _ someone _ by now.

Suddenly, the bushes to their right rustled and three figures burst forth from the foliage. Four demons, all of them leering hungrily at them, stepping towards them with a heavy, intimidating gait. Luz readied her sword, preparing to take them on even as she wondered how she hadn't noticed any sign of them earlier, when the sound of footsteps behind them caught Willow and Gus's attention and they whirled around to see another two demons lumber out from the trees towards them.

As this was happening Mattholomule was increasingly losing his nerve. He took a step back, then another, and another, steadily edging away from the group. Finally, he bolted, ignoring Luz as she called out his name, laughing to himself. Of  _ course _ he was gonna run! It was stupid to do otherwise when you know you were outmatched! At least this time he'd been with a group; they'd make great distractions while he got away.

It wasn't like this was the first time he'd pulled something like this.

Unfortunately, he was too busy patting himself on the back to notice the signs something was happening. Not until it was too late. By the time he did notice, his fate had already been sealed.

When Luz turned to call out to Mattholomule, trying to get him to come back, she suddenly felt her sixth sense going off. Alarm bells sounded in her head as she watched the boy flee, only for the ground to burst open beneath his feet, revealing long tendrils of flesh that wrapped themselves tightly around the poor boy and dragged him screaming into the dirt. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've seen enough... well, you know the joke. 
> 
> Well, enough of that violent stuff. If you are an artist, a writer, a musician, any kind of creative or just like seeing and interacting with friendly, loving, and supportive people of all sorts, come on down to The Good Witch Society! We sometimes lose track of our collective braincell but hey, that's part of the fun.
> 
> https://discord.gg/sX8BVjN8r7


	8. Final Selection Exam, Part 2

A cold wind blew over the night-shrouded mountain. Everything lay silent, still, as though holding its breath. Almost as though in anticipation of something. 

In the middle of a clearing blanketed by snow, a boulder, formidable in size, lay split cleanly in two. On top of this rock sat a young woman, looking out at the horizon, but her eyes looked as though she were gazing at something far beyond that. Near her, leaning with her back against the rock was another, her gaze pointed at the treeline but her eyes looking beyond that as well.

Neither spoke. They didn't need to. They had known each other for so long, it was practically second nature to know what the other was thinking. And this time, there could only be one thing on their minds. 

So when the woman on the rock spoke, it wasn't to her companion. They were words meant for someone far away, on another mountain far away. 

"You got this Luz. I know you do."

Her eyes were burning with an inner flame, and there was absolutely certainty in each and every word. The other woman simply smiled. She believed the same thing. 

They had to.

It was all they could do now.

\---------------------------------

Not long after Mattholomule disappeared into the earth, the demons that had been stalking towards them suddenly fell limp, dropping bonelessly to the ground before being yanked back into the foliage as though attached to invisible strings. Luz's sixth sense continued to go off, stronger than she'd ever felt it before. The trio quickly stood back to back in a loose circle, scanning their surroundings, when a huge, lumbering shape came into view.

It had to be the biggest demon Luz had seen yet, as well as the most grotesque. Or at least she assumed it to be a demon; its shape looked more like an octopus, with a huge bulbous head sitting on a mass of writhing tentacles. Its entire body was made of pale pink, pulsating flesh lined with bulging veins, save for the strange golden orbs that hung beneath its chin, two small, pitifully deformed and emaciated-looking arms gently caressing them. Two large yellow eyes bulged out from its face, its mouth pulled into a lipless sneer as it regarded Mattholomule, held helplessly before it in the grasp of a tentacle.

To Luz's horror, its mouth opened monstrously wide and she could only watch as it lowered the screaming, struggling boy into its maw. The last thing she heard from him was his pleas for mercy, for salvation, that he didn't want to die, before the demon's mouth snapped shut. With a sickening  _ crunch _ its throat compressed, again and again, as though savoring the sounds of bones breaking and flesh mashing, and it hummed happily as it swallowed before its eyes turned on them.

"Well, look what we have here," it sneered. "More morsels to snack on. That last one barely filled me up; not nearly as good as any of the ones from last night." It cackled loudly as though it had made some grand joke before its attention was on them once more. But as it was about to continue to speak, its eyes fell upon the mask on the side of Luz's head.

"Oh? Ohhhhh? Oh-ho-ho what do we have here?" it said, eyes narrowing. "That mask... I'd recognize that handiwork anywhere. The grain of that mask... tell me, little owlet, which emperor sits on the throne and continues the Meiji legacy?"

"Meiji?" Gus said in surprise, unable to help himself as his eyes widened. "But the imperial family is Taisho now."

The demon was silent for a moment as it processed Gus's words. Finally, it spoke with a low, unbelieving tone. "Taisho...?  _ Taisho?  _ No... No no no no no!" It began angrily thrashing its tentacles about, smashing trees and leaving deep furrows in the earth, its thin arms clawing at its face as it screeched in rage. "An entire  _ dynasty _ has fallen and risen while I've been trapped here?!  _ Unforgivable! That damned Owl Hermit! DAMN YOU EDA! CURSE YOU CURSE YOU CURSE YOU--" _

Luz gasped at the mention of her mentor. "You know Eda?"

Its eyes swiveled back to look at her, its face contorted in rage. "Of course I know her! That damn woman was the one who trapped me here! I'll never forget! Never never never! Damnit! How long has it been now... three decades, at least. I was taken prisoner not long after the Meiji emperor took the throne, and now he's already gone! I'll never forgive you Eda!"

"That can't be right," Willow said, hand on the hilt of her sword, ready to defend her friends from the demon. "Only demons who've eaten at most  _ three _ people are ever brought here, and they never last long. Most of them get killed during the Final Selection."

"Yes! You're exactly right!" the demon cried, its tentacles curling in on themselves as it howled. "But  _ I _ managed to survive! And so far I've managed to eat at least  _ fifty _ of you!" Its expression suddenly changed into one of barely restrained glee, its attention focused on Luz once again as its eyes travelled to the mask Eda had given her. "But I only ever got the pleasure of finding  _ two _ of Eda's little brats."

A wicked laugh wheezed through its teeth, its lipless mouth pulled into a gruesome, cruel smile. "I wonder what kind of expression she made when they never came home." It giggled, an ugly, evil sound that sent chills running down Luz's spine, and let out a nostalgic sigh. "I really wish I could've seen it."

The trio leapt in separate directions as a tentacle lashed out at where they had been standing, smashing into the ground. It retracted the limb, only for more tentacles to shoot out of its body, tearing through the air towards the three examinees. Trusting that Willow and Gus would be able to handle themselves, Luz sidestepped one tendril and smoothly sliced through another at the same moment before kicking off the ground and into the air to dodge one more.

Her mind was reeling at the implications of the demon's words. Even as she continued to repel the demon's onslaught, avoiding and cutting through its powerful limbs, she couldn't stop thinking about what it had said. As far as she knew, Eda had only ever had two students before her. They never mentioned anyone else. 

But they'd managed to pass Eda's test, hadn't they? Lucia had said it herself.

_ "I already split  _ my _ boulder ages ago." _

That had to mean Lucia and Amelia had made it to the Final Selection. But then they met the demon and... never came home...

Luz's body grew numb as realization set in; it lasted only a moment, replaced by a cold fury that came over her and she jumped over an incoming tendril, landing on it briefly before she kicked off it to leap back and onto the branch of a nearby tree. The fighting ground to a halt as the demon noticed her and the fierce glare she was directing towards it.

On the ground below, Willow and Gus turned to see what the demon was staring at as it stopped attacking them, a knot of concern twisting in Willow's gut as she saw the look on Luz's face, at the sheer hatred and anger visible in the girl's eyes. Gus couldn't help but swallow nervously at the tension that filled the air; he could practically see the bloodlust radiating off of Luz, filling him with anxiety at what she might do next.

The demon, of course, had a notably different reaction. Its smile seemed to widen, its eyes bulging in their sockets as it leered at Luz. "That's right. I remember them too. I could never forget those two." It giggled again; the sound of it fueled the cold fury that swept through Luz, her hands growing numb as her grip tightened on the hilt of her sword.

"You could even say...  _ It's like they're still here with me. _ " Suddenly, unexpectedly, the demon plunged two of its tendrils into a pair of the golden orbs that hung at its throat, cackling madly as it caressed them with its emaciated hands. The tendrils pulled away, taking the orbs with them as they seemed to  _ fuse _ with the fleshy appendages. 

The three humans could only stare in growing horror as the golden exteriors seemed to melt away, revealing a pair of masks that Luz recognized all too well. But before she could do anything more than stare, what appeared to be lumps of flesh began to lengthen, elongate,  _ change _ into far more familiar forms that, when the transformation was complete, made Luz want to throw up at the sight of them.

Hanging at the end of each tendril was a limp, doll-like approximation of Lucia and Amelia. They were dressed like them, looked like them down to the curls of their hair, yet there was still a strange  _ wrongness _ about them that churned Luz's stomach. But then they began to twitch, limbs spasming, lips opening and closing wordlessly. 

When they started moving in earnest, it was with a strange stiffness, a bastardized mimicry of life as the demon's voice came out of their mouths. When it spoke through them, it was in a mocking approximation of their voices, yet still close enough to freeze the blood in Luz's veins at the sound of them.

_ "It's too strong! Lucia, we need to make a break for it!" _

_ "No! We can't let this thing kill anyone else Ames! It's just gonna keep getting stronger!" _

"This one was smart," the demon wheezed, waving the Amelia puppet about. "They really should have run. They were strong, yes. And maybe they could have won. I wasn't nearly as powerful then as I am now.  _ But they made one mistake. _ "

_ "Ames, look out!" _

_ "No... No, LUCIA!" _

"And really, that's all it takes. Heehee, I remember it like it was yesterday, you know? She should've saved herself, the stupid girl. I already broke the other one's leg; she wasn't going anywhere." The demon laughed as it bragged about its deeds, taunting Luz as it recounted its encounter with Eda's disciples. 

"You should've seen the look on her face, her  _ despair _ as I tore the other one limb from limb, devouring her piece by piece in front of her. It was positively  _ delightful. _ Ahhh I almost regret being so hasty about killing the first one; I wonder what kind of expression she would have made if she saw what I did to her precious 'Ames' before I ate her." It giggled to itself, pressing its thin, bony hands to its fleshy cheeks as it fantasized. "I bet it would've been  _ glorious _ ."

Luz gritted her teeth, her eyes reflecting the searingly cold  _ anger _ that coursed through her, that numbed her body until all she could feel was pure, unadulterated  _ loathing _ for the demon before her. The world around her fell away until all she could see, all she could perceive was the target of her fury and hatred, its leering, taunting face carving itself into her mind.

She inhaled, feeling the cold numbness intensify with each breath.

She exhaled, not noticing how her eyes burned with tears.

Memories poured through her unbidden, of Lucia's rough encouragement, goading her to do her best, to become stronger, of Amelia's gentle hands and her kind sternness as she showed her how to improve her forms. The memories continued to flow, blending together into one, final memory, one of sad, yet proud, reassuring smiles, as they congratulated her for what she knew now was the last time she would ever see them again.

And if that's how  _ she _ felt, then Eda... Eda would have... no, there was no doubt.

She was still hurting.

"Unforgivable."

Luz's voice echoed soft and clear from where she stood, her icy glare boring into the demon. Even as she continued to breath, inhaling and exhaling, her entire body trembled from barely-restrained  _ fury _ as she imagined the look on Eda's face as she realized the two she had spent so much time with, that she had trained and watched over as they grew into strong young women... realized that they would never return home.

With a powerful leap, Luz flew through the air at the demon, her face contorted in rage as she brought her blade to bear. It retaliated, launching one fleshy tendril after another at her, but she sliced them into pieces before they could reach her, her sword a blur of yellow and silver as she countered its attacks.

When her feet touched the ground, Luz continued her assault, charging straight towards the demon with an angry, sorrowful cry. Her heart ached for Eda, for the two she would never see again, for all the people the demon had devoured. Never had Luz thought she could hate someone  _ so much _ , it felt as though her body was consumed by it, her mind a furious blizzard of emotions, all of her focus on only one thing:  _ taking this bastard down. _

Far away, where the girl could not hear, a young woman's brow furrowed in concern, her eyes continuing to gaze out beyond the horizon as she whispered, "Stop it, Luz. Don't worry about us. Get your breathing under control, you idiot; you can't win like this. You can't lose here, not like this."

Her companion turned to look at her with an expression of concern, reaching up to grasp her hand and squeeze it tight, their fingers intertwining, before returning her gaze to a place far beyond the horizon.

As Luz neared the demon's main body, raising her sword above her head for one, final strike, ready to cleave its head in two, a sudden movement caught her attention. Before she could bring down her blade, she felt her body freeze up as a figure stood in her path, a young woman with dark brown hair spilling out from beneath a red knitted cap, a cat-faced mask on the side of her head, a sad smile on her face. 

Luz knew it was a trick, knew that this was just the demon's puppet.

But the sudden sight of her was enough to temporarily stay her blade, to make her hesitate for a single, critical second.

In that moment of hesitation the flesh-puppet's face contorted into an inhuman sneer and she kicked Luz in the gut, winding her. The sheer force of the blow was enough to knock her off her feet and the demon lashed out with a fleshy tendril, its strike sending her flying back and into a tree, its wood creaking ominously at the impact.

The girl crumpled to the ground, clarity returning to the world around her as the numbness was forcibly jolted from her body from the sudden, severe pain. Luz was distantly aware of the sound of wood breaking, a weight falling from her head as the mask had made for her fell apart, shattered by the blows she had taken. There was also a faint wetness on her face, accompanied by the smell of blood. 

Suddenly a hand grabbed her hair, lifting her up and bringing her face to face with the puppet of Amelia, a cruel expression on her face that looked unnatural on her. 

This close, Luz could see that instead of Amelia's amber eyes, it was the demon's cold, jeering black ones that were looking back at her.

_ "Too bad _ ," it said mockingly, taunting her with its mimicry of Amelia's voice,  _ "looks like you're not returning home either. Ahhh I  _ really _ wish I could get to see the look on Eda's face when she realizes she sent yet another one of her brats to their death. I bet it will be  _ priceless. _ " _

Helpless, still stunned from the blows and her mind clouded with pain, Luz could do nothing as the Amelia-puppet placed its free hand on her neck and  _ squeezed _ . The vice-like grip tightened around her throat, leaving her unable to breath. Her vision began to blur, darkness creeping in from the edges as she tried to gasp for air, struggling feebly.

Her mother's face flashed through her mind, as well as that of King, Owlbert and Hooty, Eda... and Amity. She was going to fail her again, wasn't she? When Amity awoke, what would she do, once she learned Luz had left and never came home? A painful ache grew in her chest, even greater than the physical pain she was currently suffering.

All she could see now was the puppet's sneering face, no doubt mirroring the demon's own. She screwed her eyes shut, not wanting that horrible  _ thing _ to be the last she ever saw.

_ I'm sorry, Amity... _

Then, suddenly, she was free.

A dark blue blur had rushed forward, slicing through the puppet's arms, forcing it to release Luz and back away before it took more damage. Before she hit the ground, Luz felt herself fall into a pair of soft, gentle arms and saw green eyes that looked down worriedly at her before turning to the other figure nimbly weaving and dodging its way through the demon's thrashing limbs. 

"Gus! I got her, let's go!"

"On it!" the smaller boy proclaimed, ripping two orbs off of his belt. One he threw at the demon's face, the other he flung toward the ground. The latter one began dispersing a steady stream of thick white smoke that obscured their surroundings and muffled their movements. 

The other burst against the demon's flesh, unloading the ash and glass shards that had been tightly packed within. With an angry screech, the demon clawed at its face with its tiny hands, ineffectively trying to rid itself of the pain in its eyes. 

Taking advantage of the confusion, the examinees quickly made their escape, carrying Luz as gently as they could, Willow holding her up by hooking her arms under hers, Gus on the other end holding Luz's legs. They put as much distance as they could between them and the demon, hearing its raging cries growing fainter the further they went.

Eventually they came to a stop, lowering Luz to the ground, Willow immediately looking her over for any serious injuries. After a few tense moments of examination, Willow breathed a sigh of relief. "Somehow you got lucky back there, Luz. You've got a cut on your forehead and you're bleeding a little, but it's not deep, and it doesn't seem like anything's broken."

"It feels like it," Luz groaned. She slowly sat up, wincing in pain, before shooting Willow and Gus an apologetic look. "Guys... I'm sorry. I really messed up back there."

"That wasn't your fault," Willow said earnestly.

"Yeah, the way that demon was taunting you, anyone would snap," Gus added with a fervent nod.

"I still should've known better," Luz retorted, looking away in shame. "I got so caught up in wanting to make it pay for what it did, I lost control. I didn't even think about you guys when I attacked it. Some friend I am, huh?"

Slowly, painfully, Luz got back to her feet, taking a moment to wipe her eyes, still not looking at them. "It's probably going to come looking for me, now that it knows I'm Eda's disciple. You guys should get as far away as you can before it shows up, and tell someone about it when the Final Selection is over. Hopefully they'll send someone who can take care of it before the next one."

Before she could walk away, Willow blocked her path, standing before her with a glare. "No."

Luz turned, trying to walk away in a different direction, but found Gus blocking her way as well, arms outstretched. "No way, you're not taking it on alone, Luz!"

Unable to escape, Luz looked at the ground, hot, scorching tears welling up in her eyes, leaving burning trails as they rolled down her face. Her hands clenched into tight fists, trembling at her sides. "You guys saw it. It's too strong. There's no way any of us can beat it. A-And even if we could, what if I lose control again? How am I supposed to keep you guys safe if--"

"Luz!" Suddenly Willow clapped her hands right in Luz's face, startling her out of her thoughts and finally making the girl look at her. When Luz's eyes met Willow's, she saw not only kindness and concern, but a steely determination. "Thank you for worrying about us, but we've been trained to be demon slayers, too. All those days and nights we spent together, fighting side by side? Just as we've seen how strong you are, you've seen how strong  _ we _ are, too.

"We don't need you to look out for us. We're a team; we all look out for each other. And isn't it like you said? Three heads are better than one."

"Yeah!" Gus said in agreement, standing next to Willow with a reassuring grin. "You're right, none of us alone can take it out. But we're not alone;  _ you're _ not alone, Luz. We've got your back." He reached into the folds of his  _ kimono _ , pulling out something very familiar to Luz and holding it out to her. "You knew them, the two it was talking about right? Even if it's not as personal for us, it still did a lot of terrible things; that's more than enough reason for us to fight together with you."

Carefully, as though the object in Gus's hand were made of rice paper, Luz gently took hold of the fox-faced mask, tracing a finger along the grain. She looked at Gus in amazement and he scratched his cheek in embarrassment. "Well, I noticed the only thing the demon didn't make were the masks, so I figured they must be the originals. I was only able to grab one, but..."

Gus trailed off as Luz pulled the boy into a crushing hug, a soft "Thank you" escaping her lips as a dam seemed to burst, tears flowing in earnest as she was overcome with emotions. She felt the warmth grow as Willow put her arms around them as well. They basked in the warmth of each other's affection before the group hug broke apart, Luz wiping her eyes again as she tied the mask to her head.

A small smile had returned to her face as she regarded her friends. "Sorry about all that. You're right, you guys are plenty strong. I never doubted that for a second. And if any of us gotta take that thing on, it'll be all the three of us that do it. Together." Fiery determination burned in her eyes as she smiled at Willow and Gus; she still wasn't entirely certain of their chances at fighting the demon, but together she felt as though they could move mountains. And the more she thought about it, the more the pieces of a plan began coming together.

"I've got an idea."

As Luz had said, the demon was indeed looking for her and it was  _ not _ pleased. It had completely forgotten about the other two humans, so focused as it was on toying with Eda's disciple before breaking her. It did tend to play a bit too much with its food, but doing that made the meal so much more enjoyable. Still, it had resolved that when it found her, it was done playing around.

Their next encounter would be their last.

"Where are you, little owlet?" it muttered, rooted in place by the numerous tendrils burrowing through the earth. It had numerous puppets silently moving through the forest, mimicries of demons it had devoured, acting as its eyes and ears. Only two puppets it kept by its side, precious mementos of its revenge against its most hated foe.

Except one was damaged and an irreplaceable trophy had been stolen from it in the same breath. Just for that, it would give the two that had been with Eda's brat the honor of becoming its puppets as well. 

Then without warning one of its puppets was cut down.

And another.

Then another.

Screeching furiously, the demon redirected its remaining puppets to where the others had been lost, only to lose more without seeing what or who was destroying them. Through the eyes of one of its puppets, it barely managed to catch sight of a familiar girl with glasses before she cut it down, severing its connection.

It quickly began withdrawing its tendrils, gnashing its teeth in anger. How  _ dare _ they! Those impertinent brats! And they continued to attack it, infuriating the demon more and more with each one they ruined.

The demon was so angry, it didn't notice a figure silently running towards it, making its way through the shadows of the trees. 

By the time the demon noticed her, it was too slow to react as Luz leapt into the air, pulling her sword from its sheath and using the momentum to spin through the air. The blade sliced through the tendrils attached to the puppets of Amelia and Lucia, dropping them to the ground. The demon howled furiously as its eyes swiveled around in their sockets to focus on Luz, meeting her gaze as she twisted in the air.

" _ YOU...! _ "

Luz ignored it as she breathed, feeling that miniature sun burning in her core as she inhaled. With every breath, it grew hotter, brighter, its warmth flowing through her veins. Whatever pain and exhaustion she still felt was burned away, along with her fear and hesitation, even her anger. All that remained was calm determination, a resolve to finish this battle and make sure that demon would never harm  _ anyone _ ever again.

She planted a foot against the demon's face and used it to kick off, propelling herself higher into the air. Sensing an opportunity, the demon lashed out with its tendrils, only for them to be cut before they reached her. Looking down, it spotted Gus and Willow as they maneuvered around the demon, their blades biting into its limbs and severing them at the base. 

Snarling, the demon plunged its remaining tendrils into the orbs at its neck, transforming them into puppets. The puppets surrounded and lunged at Gus and Willow, bastardized mimicries of various demons and humans it had consumed over the years. But these were only the victims it had consumed from past Final Selections; none of them could hope to match the demon's current foes in either skill or strength.

Willow was an oak in a storm, whipping her blade around like branches in the wind and chopping through the puppets with ease. Unlike with normal demons, she didn't have to focus on decapitation to defeat the puppets; this gave her the chance to simply lash out with her pure, raw strength. Instead of chasing after the puppets, she allowed them to come to her, pivoting on the spot to cut through the puppets as they circled around her. Her breathing was even, steadily filling her with strength; the puppets around her fell to pieces, unable to withstand her onslaught.

Gus ducked and weaved, his smaller stature and superior speed allowing him to slip through the stiff-limbed attacks of the puppets. Something odd was happening as he fought, his breathing hitting a rhythm as his movements began to flow seamlessly with his opponents'. As the puppets moved, so did he; he hardly used his blade to parry or block their attacks. Instead he struck out at weak points that opened up in their dance to the death. It was like trying to fight with a shadow, or capture one's reflection in the water.

Up in the air, Luz gazed down at the demon as Willow and Gus distracted it, feeling the world disappear as her focus narrowed. Unlike before, her thoughts were much clearer, her body felt light, and her mind alert. As she reached the peak of her leap, as gravity resumed its hold on her, as she felt the tingling of her sixth sense, Luz shouted, "Willow, now!"

Hearing Luz's shout, Gus moved in to dispatch the puppets in Willow's way and she charged at the demon. Seeing her approach, it lashed out at her with the remaining lengths of its severed tendrils, only for her to bat them aside with her sword. Finally, when she was right next to the demon, Willow planted one foot firmly onto the ground, taking a deep breath as she channeled all of her strength, and kicked out with her other.

The sole of her foot crashed into the demon's orbless chin, the sheer strength behind the kick not able to push it back, but that wasn't the purpose. Instead, it was just enough to shift the demon's weight, its thin, bony arms flailing as it felt itself roll onto its back and unable to stop itself. With a resounding  _ crash  _ the back of its head slammed into the dirt and its eyes widened as it spotted Luz falling down towards it.

As she fell, Luz was twisting through the air, gathering more and more momentum as she used the weight of her blade to keep her body moving through the air. A memory flashed through the demon's mind as it watched her helplessly, seeing a figure overlap with Luz's as she came down. It remembered how that figure's blade had cut through it as it attacked her, how she had leapt over it, her body twisting through the air as her sword severed its limbs, leaving it helpless as she landed silently before turning to look back at it, an aggravating smirk visible beneath her crimson  _ tengu  _ mask.

"EEEEEEEEDAAAAAAA!" the demon howled, just as Luz's sword cut through the air in a flash of yellow and silver, her blade slipping beneath its chin. The momentum she had built up as she fell culminated in a single, powerful strike that sliced through the demon's thick neck, severing its massive head from the tentacle-wrapped body beneath. Its limbs thrashed about and its hands convulsed before falling limp, its head rolling over until it hit a tree, sitting at the perfect angle to see Luz gracefully landing without a sound as her feet touched the ground. 

_ Owl Breathing, Tenth Form: Feather Dance. _

The battle was finally over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost there folks; next chapter, a tearful reunion and a new beginning.


End file.
